Report 343
by Xy-Trig
Summary: This is what happens when I get a bunch of my bored friends and tell them "Create your own Master and Servant, we're running a Holy Grail War now". In progress right now. Stat sheet here: /story/story preview.php?storyid 8385098&chapter 1
1. Report 343: On the Izaya Grail War

Report # 343: On the Izaya Grail War.

Author: Xylouris Trigger. Origin: War, weapon Sacrifice Dagger. Confirmed former Executor and mid-tier magus. Specializes in reinforcement of body through magecraft.

"Yes, Bishop Magnus, all seven Masters and Servants have been confirmed as arriving here." I spoke into the magecraft communicator. "Yes, the situation is indeed dire." I looked over my shoulder. It was an irrational action; there were no windows, but the cellar of the church was not enough for me to shake the feeling that I was being hunted.

"No, I have found no indication to see that they are making their move. It looks like this Grail War will be as close to normal as it gets." I said. "Yes, the disappearance of the last supervisors is a cause for concern, but I have no signs as of yet of interference from their faction." Bishop Magnus took a breath.

"Projected level of damage?" He asked. I smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Extremely high, judging from the capabilities of the Servants." I said. "The Throne of Heroes has allowed fictional legends to become reality, including those from more modern sources than others. Yes, I understand that this is probably Hashimoto's doing, but I cannot pick it up if he interferes with the Holy Grail directly." Bishop Magnus replied quickly. What he said was quite the news.

"We are studying it."

"Ho." I said. "The higher-ups really don't want this to get out, for them to be here." I said. "No, it's no trouble, this isn't a small church. Yes, I will continue to monitor the War for any interference from them." After confirming that little bit of information, I put down the phone. I looked over at the side table and picked up the stack of paper there.

I turned the page. It read: "Results of the Investigation on Fuyuki Grail War supervised by Kirei Kotomine." The situation had been steadily worsening for the past few weeks. About a month ago the two supervisors assigned to the job, Shin'ichi Hashimoto from the Magi Association and Ned Denning from one of the hundreds of departments in the Holy Church, went missing. Ned's body was eventually found with the spare Command Spells missing and his Mystic Code taken. Hashimoto and his body remained missing. A team was sent out, myself included, and we found it highly probable that Hashimoto had instigated the incident. After that, I had been assigned the position of supervisor, on the grounds that I knew most about the situation on the ground. The team was still in the city.

Two weeks ago, a large surge in the prana content of the land was detected. On inspection, the leylines in nearby areas had been diverted here. Hence, the Holy Grail War, which would not have occurred for a two months, was accelerated. It was a terrifying political situation, with the Magi Association unable to investigate due to the nature of the Grail War and the Holy Church trying to cover up the mess. Another team was sent in to investigate with support from the Association. It was hoped that this would be sufficient to ascertain the cause of the anomaly.

It was a week ago that shit really went down. One team was annihilated to a man, the bodies disappearing. The survivor, Julius Harway, was questioned and confirmed to have seen a Servant attack him. The Servant wielded a bow that had shot multiple arrows at a time, which explained the quick annihilation of their team. As I could already confirm the identities and the movements of the seven Servants, I confirmed that it was not one of them.

In direct defiance of the rules placed on the Holy Grail spell, an eighth Servant had appeared. This threw the decision-making of the council into chaos. They did not have authority to interfere in the War, but they could not leave this unchecked. With my Origin, I was assured a place in this War, as I was most suited for information gathering. The other team was pulled back and they were to be relieved today by a specialized anti-Servant team.

After some research, I discovered that it was the Hydra Bow, and Hercules had been summoned as an Archer. Determined to find more information, I requisitioned the top-secret file on the Fourth and Fifth Fuyuki Grail Wars. It has been a week with no activity. The town is quiet. The seven Masters and Servants were here, along with Hercules the Second Archer. The Church has decided that the Holy Grail War should settle itself as much as possible, and the anti-Servant team is only to attack Servants who are not under the seven Masters.

I closed the report on Kotomine's Grail Wars and sighed. Why did I get stuck with this job?

"Saber, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Rider, Assassin, Berserker. The seven Servants have been assembled, and possibly quite a few more." I said, deviating from the normal chant. "Fight with pride for your goal. Holy Grail War, begin!" I brought my hand down in the cellar.

Like it or not, the War had begun.

Appendix A– Archer (Hercules) [Area 10]

Strength: A

Endurance: A

Magic: C

Agility: B+

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: A

Skills:

Prana Burst: B. Infuses prana into his weapon to strengthen his attacks.

Divinity: A. He is a demigod, above the divinity that humans can reach.

Bravery: A+. Brave nearly to the point of stupidity, it strengthens him (almost Mad Enhancement), and prevents him from being interfered with.

Battle Continuation: A.

Mind's Eye (Fake): B

Clarivoyance: C.

Noble Phantasms:

Twelve Labors: Effectively needs to be killed twelve times.

Hydra Bow (Nine Lives): A. Nine attacks delivered almost simultaneously that can be used with any weapon, however, the power of the Heroic Spirit will destroy any weapon that is not a Noble Phantasm.


	2. Morning on the First Day

I looked over the scenes in my mind again. I was surprised. The night I had declared the beginning of the War and already people were fighting.

Most of the action had taken place up in the mountains. Calling up prana to my Magic Circuit, I began to revisit the events of the day. Let's start at the base of the mountain.

"Archer, the area we're about to go to is residential." Bob said. "We'll have to be careful, because the enemy Masters could be staying in any one of those houses."

"I understand, Master." The man in Japanese garb said. "I will be careful."

"Let's go." With that, Bob and Servant continued walking. I smiled, and pulled myself back from the eagle eyes of the person standing in a tree, focused intently on their direction. The robed man with belts on his cloak-and-hood said nothing, only taking notes on his discovery. He could not be seen, being literally cloaked in darkness. Not like he needed it, he was a master at hiding. His Master was in the foothills. This note would have to be passed on. His Master's crow familiar landed on his shoulder, and he spoke, in a voice so low that his accent was muddled. "Take this to your master." The crow took the letter in its beak and flew off.

In the foothills of Izaya City, there are certain paths one must take up the mountain.

Right now, one of those paths was being blocked off with traps. The trapper was The One Clad In Black, called that for lack of a better name. He was laying his traps. He knew it was a long shot, but as he expertly tied the tripwire he was hoping for a Master to come across. So he continued undisturbed. I went over the mountains.

Daichi Mamoru had survived. It had been a long day of preparing his hideaway, but he had survived. The elementals he had summoned were hard at work, while his Servant stood guard. It had been a long day. His pact with his fellow Master, Tohno Kenichi, had come in handy after all. One can never be too careful. With that, he cast another glance over at his Servant and the elementals. The tall man in the classic wizard's clothes was supervising the moving piles of rock.

I will move when I am ready, and not before.

Ken Marker walked down the mountain with a young boy at his side. Although he was powerful, he would much rather not be detected. After all, his power was of a completely different nature than the other Masters.

"Master, are you alright?" The boy asked him.

"I'm all right, Saber." Ken told him reassuringly. "More importantly, are you sure you should really be on guard like that?"

"I've been ambushed before, so I know that it can be done anywhere." Saber smiled, recollecting his experiences, both good and bad. They continued to back-and-forth like that, facing each other with a smile.

Soon they came to an abandoned storehouse. It was small, and suited perfectly for their purpose. They constructed a magical array before taking a pair of beds that had been left behind and going to sleep, each trusting the other to be on guard.

The Servant of prana and the alien Master had accepted one another.

Evans Masterson held onto his rifle and suppressed his frustration as he shouldered it. He was shaking, which led to more frustration, which led to shaking. He was cold and wet, which was no problem for a sniper.

The problem was more unconventional. He had been holding his prana inside his Magic Circuits for an hour. He could feel his body shaking involuntarily as he levelled his sights at the spear wielder moving away from him. He grimaced as he tried to steady himself against the raging prana.

Concentrate. Remember your training…. And….. Shoot.

He felt the PTRD 1941 kick as the heavy bullet meant to destroy tanks tore through the air. He watched as his target went down, but he had not hit like he aimed.

Dammit. I should have gotten him, but I will, just you wait.

Before he mentally cursed himself, he packed up and ran off. At his speed, he was burning all the prana that had burdened him so. And just to make sure, he danced the Macarena.

"What are you doing, Master?" A woman of average height began walking beside him. Her clothing was nondescript, but the belts on it carrying various metals and chemicals were all the mark of a master alchemist. She was moving carefully even as she chatted lightly, with no extra movement or wasted energy. Evans replied "Burning off prana. And being a badass. Now let's get a move on."

The two of them ran through the pitch-black night, as if in guilt for their deeds.

Tohno Kenichi swore to himself. Fuck, to get shot like this…

He was lying in a hospital bed. In the end, he was relying on those bastards who had sent him to the Holy Grail War.

And after I said all those things about protecting Ririko after all… God.

Tohno Kenichi lay on the bed in pain, both emotional and physical. The bullet had been taken out, the wound stitched, and healing magecraft applied. But the disappointment in himself was far stronger than anything. His Servant came in. She was tall for a woman, her smooth skin covering muscles that had been honed through battle. She had been a general once.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Kenichi said. "The organization is cruel, but they're good at their job."

"Good." She said. "We won't be able to operate properly with you on a hospital bed." She said it with a straight face, but if looked at carefully, she was holding in a smile and blushing just a bit.

"So, what do we have so far?" She asked, changing the subject.

"There are a lot of people in the vicinity of the mountain." Kenichi said. "Also, they seem to be moving in different directions, so we should be able to find a few of them if they are moving like that." His Servant nodded. Of course she wouldn't be needing an explanation, she was better at military tactics than he was.

They spent the rest of the night planning.

I sighed. It's been quite a day. Now, let's see how the others are doing. Most of them decided to hole up in the mountains, so there are only a few that are away.

It was a full-sized industrial warehouse, the kind where containers were once stacked up and ship supplies kept before they got too big for even these warehouses. Normally, magically reinforcing a place like this would not be easy.

But with the assistance of an extremely powerful Servant, nothing would be impossible. Tensai Takizawa once again smiled and thanked his Servant for his help. Lancer merely nodded. He was a bit offended at his Servant's arrogance, but was willing to let it slide.

This workshop… soon, I will be able to use it.

He smiled at the thought. A Servant like his would be unbeatable combined with the power gained from a workshop like he was building.

This will be my victory.

"Of course, there's the star of the day." I smiled, recounting the battle that had taken place. The mall and the bridge nearby had been destroyed.

"Kiyouskei Sousuki gave me some valuable information." I smiled. Thanks to his valiant effort, I now had all the info that the Holy Church was asking for.

He was running with a girl into the botanical garden. The girl was tall and blonde, looking like she had just stepped off the plane from Greece.

"Where are we going, Kyouskei?" She asked, running quickly.

"There's a Servant after us, Penny." He said. "Hide in the greenhouse, I'll make preparations." Quickly, he ran out and buried gems in the earth, weaving the intricate patterns he had only seen before in gemstones into the world.

In effect, he had created a web of magical traps. But before he could finish, five arrows pierced the ground between him and his Servant. As he looked up, another five joined them.

"I won't harm you if you leave quietly." A voice boomed. "I do not wish to harm another hero." Kiyousukei merely smiled, but his eyes turned red. His voice jarringly took on a more destructive tone as he answered.

"Welcome, Archer." He said, sneering. "Come on out so I can kill you and your Master quickly!" He motioned his hand towards Berskerer. She saw his hand wave. The arrows came from over there, at a high angle. He's on the ground. Find him. She nodded.

Berserker's mouth ran dry. She ran as fast and quietly as she could to the source of the arrows. She came upon a bow-wielder who was dressed in a simple homespun garment that her male friends would wear when she was still alive.

"Last chance. I will have no mercy." The voice of the man in front of her rang out. That was the signal. Without fear, she lunged. The man turned around. "I told you to leave quietly. Now I will have to shed the blood of another hero."

He turned and deflected the spear with just a dagger. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she saw the champion before her.

"I fo~~und yo~~u!"

With a high-pitched yell, like a calling child, her Master activated his magecraft as he stepped in front of Archer, revealing himself.

But there was something different about him.

He was grinning madly, like he was just playing a game and loving it. It was such a wide, careless smile that one would think that he was just playing.

But he was deadly serious. All around the park, ruby golems and hand streched out towards Archer from the ground where his gems were buried. Each one of these golems was enough to take down a wall, never mind a park. The ground of the courtyard shattered under the stomps of the wild golems.

This was his power, the Imagine Jewel. With this, he can replicate alchemical concepts to an extent and construct all sorts of magical objects. The objects were powerful enough to rip a car to shreds.

But the man merely smiled. "Nine Lives." He declared. The dagger cut at impossible speeds, destroying the ruby golems that came close. The hands were cut into nothing by the flashing dagger. Through the gaps, in Berserker charged. There was no way she would not make it.

Or so she thought.

"Forgive me, fellow warrior of Greece." With that, Hercules kicked the girl into the next building. She coughs up blood, but that was lucky considering the strength of that kick. He turns towards Kiyousukei, the falling pieces of concrete from the last building punctuating his movements.

"Last chance."

Kiyousukei opens his eyes. A dagger comes out of his sleeve.

And a river of blood follows it. He holds his stare at Archer.

"You hurt Berserker." He said. "You will not leave here alive."

A blur of speed approaches Archer.

It is Berserker, spear in hand. However, that is not all. With his blood, Kiyousukei creates a sigil and throws in diamonds. With that, a pair of glowing swords cuts through the air to Archer.

Archer pays no heed and runs towards Berserker, his left hand waving off Kiyousukei's attack before he grabs Berserker by the throat and slams her onto the ground, which opens up into a web of painful cracks due to the force exerted. As she is boosted by her Master, she rolls away and tries to get up. However, Archer's dagger is already moving towards her head.

It hits something. Kiyousukei's crystal gauntlet stops the blade, but Archer's left hand immediately smashes it. But Berserker strikes him in the head, her muscles pulling themselves to the limit.

A blow enough to smash a concrete wall should be fatal, but Archer merely bleeds. In return, he kicks Berserker in the side with a painful breaking noise. She doubles over in pain and injury. Archer would have continued the beating, but an object that appeared to be a wall of air pushed him back.

He smashed the paper-thin crystal to bits. Kiyousukei takes this opening to punch him with another crystal gauntlet.

"Who do you think I am?" Archer asked from under the crystal.

"Just another nameless hero." Kiyousukei responded.

"Fool." Archer said. He grabbed Kiyousukei's arm and twisted roughly, dislocating it. He was lucky that that was all, seeing what happened next. "I am Hercules."

Berserker's spear strikes him at the speed of light. But he smirks as he says the words that are like an enchantment again.

"Nine Lives."

He cuts Berserker nine times at the speed of light. The straps of the armor are cut, revealing her casual clothes underneath. But her stab connects, straight through the abdomen.

"Aaah... I lost one." He said. But then he smiled, the smile of a warrior who has won. "JUST ONE!" He kicks Berserker in the leg, leaving her on the ground in pain. But Kiyousukei grins as five explosions rock the ground Archer was standing on. He runs to help Berserker.

"I said I would only lose one." Arrows flew out of the smoke, striking Kiyousukei in the leg and Berserker twice in the right arm. The next arrow was already on the string, but Archer stopped.

"Snow?" He asked. But that slight hesitation was enough. He was frozen by the cold ice. In front of him, a homonculus rapidly formed from the ground, six feet tall and using its own ribs as swords. He could see Berserker and Kiyousukei escape out of the corner of his eye, but he could not shoot at them. He sighed, and looked at the monster in front of him that was charging mindlessly at him. He punched it in the chest and proceeded to deal it a savage beating, ripping it to pieces.

He smirked. He was done. But just as he turned around, the pieces exploded into light, engulfing him.

"Magi are as cocky as ever." He said, as he emerged unscathed. Behind him, the roof of the botanical garden collapsed.

Now the important part for me began. Thanks to this attack, I could now see Archer's movements like the other Masters and Servants. He moved towards the basement of one of the malls. There, his Master had already rented out a stall and prepared the ingredients for the next summoning. He and I had both already predicted that the next great surge in magical energy was here. The difference was that he had moved, and I had not.

Hercules reached his Master's stall. There I saw the man's face.

The face of one of the two supervisors of this ground before me, my predecessor, Shini'chi Hashimoto. Rank A ritual magician, specializing in energy prediction and control. I smiled. I might only be a Rank C, but I specialized in combat.

And magic was not the only indicator of strength. I smiled and called the higher-ups.

"Bishop Magnus, I have some interesting news." I began.

It was only the first day, yet the Holy Grail War had already truly begun.


	3. The First Night

"I hate to say this, Master, but you've been dumped."

"I know that, Assassin." The man ordered a strawberry rhubarb pie before continuing. "Let me have a snack before we move." Assassin leaned back, wishing he could get out of his chair. He had been sitting too long. His Master ate voraciously before finishing. He paid the bill and they left. They turned right and walked down the street. A few blocks later, Assassin turned to watch his Master walk into a store with all sorts of colorful outfits. Intrigued, he followed.

He discovered his Master wearing the same clothes as he was, only in black.

"Master…"

"Lancer."

"Yes, Master?" Lancer shrugged. The recent move, including the Master's workshop, had been hard, but it was manageable. He should not have to bear this disgrace.

"Go to the bridge. Find out why it collapsed."

"Roger that." And with those words, Lancer was gone.

"Stay here for a bit, Rider." Kenichi said. "I need to make a personal visit." She nodded, and stood there, one leg on the wall. He opened the heavy metal door. Just touching it made you feel like you were in prison. The door itself was dirty, and the glass window gave only a preview of what was inside. He entered, and he felt the iron bars on his heart close just a little bit more.

His sister was there, on the bed. She had always been weaker than him physically, but at this point there was no contest.

She had been tortured, and even when he had agreed, the wounds were left to rot. The bandages had only been applied to avoid infection, they stopped her from recovering by keeping her on a starvation diet. He still remembered as Nakasorachi, the head of the organization, had burned his third cigarette of the night into her arm and told him to participate, accompanied by the sound of the cigarette butt and her muted screams.

She smiled at him weakly and spoke in a voice that could almost be lost, "Don't push yourself."

He moved towards her and held her head.

"For the people I love, I will never be able to push hard enough."

Daichi Mamoru had left his familiars to their own devices for now. He had moved, something he was used to doing. A life of running had made packing light a necessity. He was camping in the forest again. But soon, he would build enough power to defeat everyone.

Slow and steady wins the race.

The old proverb brought a smile to his lips.

Kiyousukei sat in his new accommodations, smiling at his good fortune. He and Berserker had rented out a room and were staying put for now.

"Still, I can't believe that he just smacked you aside the head and you learned everything." Berserker said.

"I know." Kiyousukei replied. "If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't have believed it either."

Kiyousukei had had a very interesting encounter with a former assassin, almost going badly. After some persuasion, it had ended with him learning a few new skills and acquiring a weapon, a Smith & Wesson 29 and some throwing knives to go.

Things were going great.

Ken Marker moved in the shadows of the buildings.

He was moving to a sniping position.

Saber charged through the park. There, the enemy lay on the other side.

Bob and Archer were ready for them.

Bob immediately pulled back. Saber burst from the hedges and struck Lancer on his armor plate. He was surprised. He was not used to striking unexpected armor. Most of the monsters he had faced were just that, monsters. They wore no armor and were not versed in fighting humans. Lancer's spear came down at him with amazing speed, enhanced by the power of his Master. It cut Saber on the shoulder.

"Ah!" Saber pulled back. In actuality, only his clothes were ripped. A small fairy wearing a twintailed hat had summoned a small earthen doll to take the blow. While Tadakatsu was surprised, he took a magical blow to the head. He recoiled.

"Can't be protected where armor doesn't reach." Ken Marker readied himself to start shooting. "Go, Saber! Go for parts not covered by armor!"

Saber rushed towards Archer, sword at his side, a little fairy pushing him on with the power of the wind. She had on a green dress and appeared as a pixie. Spectators would have been reminded of Tinkerbell. Archer pulled out his bow and began to shoot, but to no avail. The wind made sure his shots landed stray.

Saber would hit. Only bad luck would stop Saber from slashing Archer open now.

"My steed, Mikunigoro!" Archer called.

A horse charged onto the battlefield, knocking Saber back.

"You are strong, but not experienced enough, child!" The bow was drawn back, lance at the string.

Archer let go.

It was an improvised creation, just a spear stuck on the string of a bow. But it was deadly at this range, and more importantly, it was a Noble Phantasm, Rank A. It broke through the barrier of the wind and pierced Saber in the shoulder. The tide had turned. Archer moved forward with his sword. He would get the kill for sure. Saber shuddered with fear.

And then the road in front of Saber exploded. Within it was a girl, gray like rock, covered in flames, and blocking the way. A volley of magical shots struck the armor behind the fire. It died down as the flaming girl disappeared to reveal a wave of water behind her. At the forefront was Saber, accompanied by what could only be described as a seal girl.

"The flood trick here? This is madness!" Archer yelled. Bob merely strengthened him. He readied his sword. So did Saber.

"Ride, my steed!"

"I don't want to fight a human!"

Mikunigoro jumped. The wave came up to the horse's hooves, but went no farther.

The wave crashed down. The two clashed above it.

Saber sliced at Archer's arm, destroying the armor. Archer cut, but was blocked by the wall of water. Mikunigoro barely kept its balance on the slick and wet street.

Saber's sword moved to his hip. The words "Serene Demon Sword" appeared above his head. Archer raised his sword, but he was too late.

The sword broke his armor plate and slashed at his chest. The wound was not deep, but it would be bad to keep going. And yet, Archer did not seem hurt at all, instead cutting Saber once, a flesh wound on his left shoulder, which was already pierced by Archer's spear. Ken Marker chose this moment to intervene and fire magic bullets towards Archer's head. He quickly dodged and readied his bow to shoot at the retreating Saber. But another of Ken's magical bullets hit him in the head, which stopped him from loosing the final arrow.

The battle was done, with no winner. Only the city lost.

In the forest, Evans was holding position. He was staring at the computer screen.

"Master, what are you doing now?"

"Be quiet, Saber. I'm trying to make sure Luka doesn't get raped."

"What that is I don't even."

His sniper still at the ready, Evans was taking his time playing fan-translated pirated games.

Well, why not?

Shin'ichi Hashimoto smiled. His plan was proceeding perfectly. The rune stones he had acquired from Ireland were enough. The magic array glowed. The bodies of his former fellow Executors were arrayed around him, slowly decaying back towards the Origin.

This was the workshop of a Burial Agent, and of a magus of the highest quality. Ruthless and who will do anything to reach his goal.

"Come forth, Dog of Culann." He said. "You'll be helping me to destroy the Church now." No additional Command Seals glowed on his hand.

One of the frozen corpses to the right shuddered, but that was all.

Bishop Magnus had already given him the report from the higher-ups.

"So they're sending the Burial Agency." Xylouris muttered to himself. Normally, he would not agree to the sending of any force, but for this he thought that the Burial Agency was too little.

"If Hashimoto's plan comes to full, it's the end." He pulled the Sacrifice Dagger from his belt.

The plan was simple.

He had used leylines to create a huge prana supply for the Holy Grail, which it had to let out by summoning Servants. By predicting the convalescence point, he could be the one to claim the Servant. That he had artifacts enough to summon them was proven. He could not destroy the Holy Grail. It was the right of the winning Master to take it, whoever it was.

It was stupid.

But that was just how he worked.

So Xylouris would have to end this.

He saw where all his opponents were.

He knew where Hashimoto was.

And if given a chance, no Servant could kill him.

He advanced.

Appendix A:

Berserker (Cu Chulainn):

Strength: B – B+

Endurance: C - B

Agility: A - A+

Magic: C - B

Noble Phantasm: B - A

Luck: E - D

Skills:

Magic Resistance: C

Mad Enhancement: A+

Battle Continuation: A - A+

Restart: C

Runes: N/A due to Mad Enhancement.

Protection from Arrows: B

Divinity: N/A due to Mad Enhancement.

Noble Phantasm:

Gae Bolg, using either pierce/throw. Rank A.


	4. I'll Meet the Quota Today

I walked down the streets of Izaya. I was careful to make sure that nobody was following me.

I should check on the Masters right about now. I thought. I've been so caught up in the hunt that I've forgotten about my day job.

"Lancer, are you in position?"

"Yes, Master."

"Start the fireworks."

With a sigh, the Servant pointed its lance. One of Izaya's warehouses exploded into a ball of fire, leaving behind nothing but charred earth.

"Now, let's see what the grenade flushes out." Tensai Takizawa smiled.

"Are you here, Assassin?"

"Yes, Master."

"So now we wait."

"Master."

"Yes, Saber?" Evans turned to her, eyes diverted from his computer screen.

"How long are we going to be squatting in the forest waiting for someone to pass by?" The girl on the treetop asked. Her Master, Evans, was sitting in the small clearing, computer open and sniper leaning on the trunk.

"Until I see the need to move." He pulled out a pack of crackers and began to eat. On the screen was the display from his recently deployed camera drone. After checking it over for a few minutes, he returned to his game.

She sighed. Boys and their toys.

Daichi Mamoru was hard at work. Most of the groundwork had been laid for his next hideaway already. He smiled. Soon, he would be underground.

Good luck killing me... if you can even find me.

Kenichi was ready. Rider stood next to him.

"Here. Place the artifact here."

Rider nodded and placed the sword on the small stone altar they had built. They felt the bounded field spring to life around them, and the aura of the war god.

It was simple. It was a shrine to the god of war, Bishamonten.

"We picked a good place, Rider." Kenichi looked at the altar, perfectly placed at the top of a wooded hill. "We won't soon be found."

She nodded. Being a former master of war, she knew that much.

"Berserker, I'm back~!" Kiyousukei announced. "Man, these groceries are heavy!"

"You should've let me go with you. Don't push yourself, your injuries aren't totally fine yet." Berserker looked him over, then at the bags that they had set on the table.

Today would just be an average day.

"Looks like the spearman stopped chasing us, Master." Saber called out.

"Good." Ken Marker said. "As I am now, those little bullets won't stop Archer."

"His defenses were quite strong." Saber said. "And his reflexes are good enough to defend against quite a bit, so it's normal not to win at first."

"Hm." Ken only seemed to half-consider it before they reached the house. Ken immediately withdrew to his room.

"Saber, don't come in unless I call."

"Understood."

Ken Marker aimed his hand at the wall.

The next time a Servant showed itself in front of him, he would not be so useless.

On the other side of the recently concluded battle, Bob was on the retreat. His servant Archer followed behind.

"Are you hurt, Archer?"

"Not much." Archer picked up his pace, walking next to his Master. "I must apologize for being unable to eliminate the opposing Master."

"They were stronger than you saw, Archer." Bob said. "We regroup."

Archer nodded. Being a veteran of many campaigns, he knew that to pull back was an extremely important action. As the gamblers of the time would say, know when to fold 'em.

Well, at least they haven't caused MORE DAMAGE this morning. I thought. I was hiding in an alley. My hands were tense. I had not yet met Shin'ichi Hashimoto in person, much less fought him, but I had heard that he was not much of a fighter. I heard footsteps come down the alley.

The moves of an amateur, trying to hide in the alley. Blending in with the crowd is far more reliable. I watched a shadow fall over the alley.

And then I saw the face in all the reports I had read. He was short, only up to about my shoulder. He still had his priest's habit on. He looked ragged, but successful. The Berserker he had summoned was nowhere in sight.

I had followed him here to deliver a message. I leisurely took out a Black Key. He came further into the alley.

And my Black Key reached the inside of his shadow. At this moment, he couldn't move even a muscle. I stepped out from my hiding place.

"Good morning, Hashimoto. Beautiful weather this morning." I said, indicating the bright blue sky and the sun. "Perfect for using a Black Key to hold someone down, don't you think?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "I took all the precautions!" He was getting flustered very quickly.

"I have my ways." I said. "I didn't come here to kill you; that would be against the rules." I said. I touched his right hand, the hand with Archer's command spells on it. He squirmed.

"I know all there is to know. The Burial Agency will be after you soon. But the one thing I can't understand about what you did is why you would do such a thing." I told him. "Tell me why. Now." I said. "I have a lot more of these swords, you know."

"You don't scare me. You're just a little boy who doesn't have any influence."

"That's true." I said. "But I often find physical harm to be both persuasive and very exciting. Shall I start by ripping out your fingernails?" I put on my practiced slasher smile, and he immediately recoiled.

"I didn't come here to chat." I said. "Tell me, are there any more radicals in this city?" He made no response.

"I wish there weren't any rules." I sighed. "I could've killed you by now."

"You're just a child of a supervisor." He said. "You still cling to honor, despite declaring Kirei as your idol. Hypocrite."

I shrugged. "Have it your way." I said. "Berserker should be able to get you out of here soon enough. But tell me, how are you going to deal with two Command Spells, and being drained by two Servants?" I asked him. I returned to the alley and dragged out the body of our comrade-in-arms.

Then I stomped on his head with my boot. Thanks to my training, it was crushed like a grapefruit. He recoiled at the blood and brain matter that burst forth. I could feel the fragments of bone trying to break the sole of my boot, trying to push up on the rubber soles. I looked at his horrified face and took his left arm in my hand, lightly, almost gingerly, and held it up to his head level.

On it was Berserker's Command Spell. It was right in front of his eyes, which widened at the sight.

"Have fun." I said, and walked off back towards the shrine.

The morning's not over yet. I thought. And I think I've met the violence quota for the day.


	5. Battle with our Backs To the Blaze

The War has just taken another turn.

"Are you alright, Saber?"

"Yes, Master."

Curled up in a cave, Evans was recovering from the trauma of a fire quickly. He had even had the presence of mind to collect some of his motion sensors on the way down into this cave.

Of course, this cave was not natural.

It was created by the hand of his personal master alchemist, the Servant Saber. Naturally.

"So, what's our next move?"

"We wait."

"Master."

"Lancer."

The two of them were talking, each of them attending to his own work. Tensai was setting up his workshop, while Lancer was attending to his spear.

The polite bishonen and the recticent lance-wielder were having an awkward moment.

But neither seemed to mind.

"The tracks go into the mountain, Master." Black turned to look at his Servant, Assassin.

He turned around just in time to see the spear embedded in Assassin's chest, clean through his body. The spear left just as he saw it. Quickly he raised his hand.

"Hide, Assassin!" The marks on his right hand glowed, then faded away as the man himself became invisible. He could only watch as a woman with the bearing of a general, like doom incarnate, came down upon Assassin. Quickly, Assassin ran through the trees, propelled faster than light by the Command Spell. Rider seemed to nod to an invisible command and raised her hand.

And then the forest became naught but a field. Assassin was pressed out in the open. There was no escape, even for a man like him.

In the end, he would have to move. The young man with the spear had appeared to supervise the battle. He waved his invisible hand.

Kenichi Tohno was hating life. To put it the same way as a normal person might experience the sensation, it was as if his boss had just given an impossible order.

More specifically, the impossible order was to kill someone in the next half-day.

Otherwise, his sister would no longer be among the living. Therefore he must kill.

Ryann, I'll get you back for this. He thought as he remembered Nakasorachi. He turned towards Assassin as Rider attacked. And he saw what he should've seen.

Assassin's Master.

Running.

Towards him.

Pitiful.

He teleported away, stabbing the man in the back with the spear.

But there was no blood.

Shit.

He tried to order Rider to use her Noble Phantasm, a strike that would easily defeat the wounded dogs that opposed her.

But before that a dagger was planted in his chest. Rider turned and used the power of her sword to move forward and rescue him. Right after, he teleported them away.

Back into the arms of the organization that supported him.

One large step away from freedom.

"Can you move, Assassin?"

"The Command Spell should still be in effect. Let's move."

Together the two ran off into the night.

"I think my training plan has gone up in smoke, Saber."

"It has, Master, it has."

Shin'ichi Hashimoto sat in the basement of the apartment complex, plotting. Naturally, his entrance was stealthy and unpermitted, having used a hypnotism spell on the receptionist. He had been warned, and he was almost incapacitated, having to support the prana of two Servants on his own. He had told Archer and Berserker to partol the perimeter.

"Nothing to report."

"All well and good." He said. Little did he know that Bob was merely a floor away, at the lobby, keeping tabs on their movements.

Both sides waited, one tensely and one not so.

Daichi Mamoru was peeved, but the fire was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"Quell the blaze, Caster."

With that, his Servant, the old man in the wizard robe, raised his hand. The red gem on his right middle finger glew, and the fire was quelled.

"Let's go."

"As you wish, Master."

Kiyousukei and Berserker had moved shop and were now taking a walk. They had checked into a hotel far from any tourist destination, with the only advantage of staying there being lack of traffic.

"WE CHARGE! CRUSH THEM, MIKUNIGORO!"

A volley of arrows peppered the sidewalk. Berserker and Kiyousukei ran between the arrows, frantically dodging them, a few landing uncomfortably near their feet. Quickly, they identified the attacker as an Archer, who had the appearance of an Eastern general on his horse.

And his bow was pointed straight at them. On it was a lance.

The string was released.

A wall was erected between Kiyousukei and the lance, about halfway between them, fifteen meters on each side.

But a distance like that is nothing to a Servant.

"CHARGE!"

With that, Mikunigoro broke into a gallop, shattering the barrier and charging towards Kiyousukei and Berserker.

Immediately they moved. Berserker prepared her spear and shield while Kiyousukei lunged forward and moved to the left, neatly sliding as Mikunigoro and Archer rushed towards him.

He pulled out his Smith & Wesson 29 Magnum. Normally, it would not even harm a Servant.

But the bullets here were of a different kind, corresponding to his "Imagine Gem". As he slid by them, he quickly emptied all his bullets into Mikunigoro's side. The horse fell.

And Archer fell towards Kiyousukei, sword in hand. Berserker moved, shielding him with her aegis.

To which Archer responded with a kick to her arm, forcing her to falter. Kiyousukei took this opportunity to spring back and slash his sleeve.

A deluge of blood reached his bracelet. This was his second trick, "Artful Sacrifice". It would allow him to increase the strength of his magecraft by offering blood.

A wall of crystals spran, forcing Archer to move back.

"What's wrong, no good without your horse? Poor Rider." Kiyousukei taunted the general, eyes red with fury (literally). "Don't get impatient, I'll come to finish you off."

"Honorless knave, dare you insult he who has led thousands of men to battle? FIRE!"

At that command, a volley of muskets resounded, shattering the crystals which were immediately growing back.

But Archer was already running forward through the shards of crystal. It was a smart technique, allowing the shattered crystal and the muskets to distract the enemy.

But he had miscalculated.

His opponent was a Berserker, an existence heedless to pain.

Berserker met his sword with her shield and drew her own. The two of them carefully sized each other up as they clashed. In terms of both physical strength and speed, Archer held the lead.

But the stubborn Berserker held her ground. Their swords clashed, the sound of weapons on armor and on each other constantly heard.

Her breathing began to get heavy.

Berserker would not last.

Then, five white short swords flew out from Kiyousukei's hiding place, followed by five black short swords. Each one of them was shimmering with light, so much so that one would think they were metal. Any Fate fan would immediately decry them as Archer's Kanshou and Bakuya.

But one would see that they are in fact crystalline. Each one held enough strength to take down a wall without breaking, but these were pulled together to explode upon impact. At that moment Berserker began her counterattack.

Archer was trapped.

The swords exploded onto his armor. Berserker, sensing the opportunity, moved in for the kill.

And then a spear flew true from the smoke.

Berserker took the length of the one-and-a-half meter long spear in the chest. It had glanced off of her shield and pierced her. Despite her condition, Archer did not relent in his attack, aiming to utterly destroy her. Kiyousukei reacted quickly, raising a wall of crystal to protect Berserker.

"Now, Berserker! You need your sisters!"

The wounded warrior lady raised her hand and swung it down at Archer.

Behind her, eleven women, each armed and armored like she herself was, came onto the field between her and Archer.

"Amazon sisters!" She proclaimed, taking on the voice of a general. "This man has wounded and insulted me, and dealt me a greivous wound! I shall retreat to take his life another day! Defend me, sisters!"

With a roar, the eleven Amazons rushed the man with the sword. Quickly judging that the situation had changed, he quickly retreated, the eleven sisters hot on his heels. Kiyousukei took Berserker on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go." Berserker only nodded as they headed back to the hotel room.

And left behind was a man in traditional garb occupying one of the apartment rooms across from the hotel. There was a messenger pigeon on his shoulder. He rolled up the message and gave it to the bird.

"Report this to the daimyo immediately." With those words the bird flew off into the night.

"I see you're awake, Kenichi."

Ryann Nakasorachi stood at the side of Kenichi's bed. For the second time in as many days, he had been injured badly.

"You're quite resilient. Don't worry about your sister, it was a shame that you were unable to defeat the enemy, but it would have been a greater waste to have lost you." He said. "You made the right decision."

With that, Nakasorachi left.

I closed my laptop. Today had been a long day. Quite a few of the Masters had gotten into fights. There was a knock at the door. I answered it.

Four men in priestly garb had arrived. The one in the center stood head and shoulders above the rest, with red hair, while the others had their heads down and were waiting. Redhead was obviously the leader.

"Gentlemen of the Burial Agency, welcome." I said. "I assume you want to be briefed on the situation."

"We wish to know why you have conducted operations in the city without clearance." Redhead intoned, in such a way that he was projecting superiority. "The collateral damage in the city is your doing."

"I have full authority. Check with Bishop Magnus, who is in charge of Japan." I said.

"We have not been able to contact your superior."

"Oh, there's something beyond the great Burial Agency now?" I asked. "Or are you not from the Burial Agency." It was more a declaration on my part than a question.

The tension in the room came to the front. All four of them were ready to rush at me at a signal.

My left hand was ready. But Redhead raised a fist.

"Come forth, Rider."

Forward stepped a short girl with jade-colored eyes, wearing armor of silver and blue.

That appearance was unmistakable.

That was Kirei Kotomine's "Saber", summoned by Emiya Kiritsugu, and after him, Emiya Shirou. The only difference was that she was summoned as a Rider.

"Who started without us?" Redhead asked. "Why did you not wait until we were here to start the War?"

I smiled.

"Has it occured to you that the reason might not be me?" I asked. "As far as I know, I suspect not even your lapdog Hashimoto knows what he did." The other three raised their left hands. I recognized the Command Spells of Lancer, Caster, and Assassin. Immediately, I comprehended their true nature.

Lancer, who was Vlad the Third.

Caster, or Nursery Rhyme.

And Li Shuwen, master of Chinese Baijiquan, and Assassin.

"The Holy Grail in this city recognizes the presence..." I began. "... of all fourteen Servants."

He stared at me.

"Hashimoto did his job too well." I said. "The current amount of prana in the Holy Grail is enough for two Holy Grail Wars. As such, the Holy Grail has summoned two sets of Servants and is running two Holy Grail Wars. In the same place, and at the same time." I smiled. They raised their hands. Rider Arturia took her stance. I sneaked a glance at Redhead's Command Spells and saw that one was missing.

That one was for obedience.

I smiled and shrugged. Arturia took that as a symbol and rushed me.

Faster than she could move, her mirror, a petite blonde girl of sixteen, moved to stop her. She was wearing armor far less legendary and of an older time, but her dignity was not affected.

"When more than one Holy Grail War takes place in a single area, another Servant is called down to regulate the War."

Both of the petite girls straightened up as I finished.

"The Servant Ruler."

I raised the Command Spells on my hand.

"I will decline to participate. Do your best, do what you think is right, and annihilate your enemies." With those three commands, the markings on my left hand vanished. I turned to the men of the Burial Agency.

"Are you willing to take on the La Pucelle?" I asked them. "After she has been strengthened by Command Spells? Even one on four, you will be hard-pressed. Arturia in the legends loses her sheath, after all, but the La Pucelle has no such disadvantage."

The redhead waved away, assembling his men to leave. The door swung shut.

"Master."

"I'm not your Master." I said to the petite girl. "You and I both have a duty. Fulfill it."

"As you wish." She said.

"Remember, this rift in the Church started with a Frenchwoman. It will be good for Frenchwomen everywhere if you were to end it."

"You could have ordered me to attack them." She said. "We would have hunted down their faction's men easily."

"I cannot harm a Master." I said. "I am a supervisor." I turned back towards my study while Ruler, seeming to give up, walked out the side door.

We had each chosen our own paths.


	6. The First Intermission: Political Musing

Appendix:

Musings on Politics: Day 1 Midnight. After Joan leaves the church.

Xylouris Trigger was at work as always.

He smiled at the events that led to this situation.

It had all started with the events of Miyama City. One of the members of the Burial Agency, by the name of Elesia, a Frenchwoman, suddenly quit her job.

It caused quite a shake-up, mostly because she was a vampire. It had originally only been known to the Burial Agency, but after the transparency campaign, it was known to all of the military part of the Holy Church. It caused a rift to appear.

On one side, there was the External Pope, along with the more conservative and militaristic side of the Church, who argued to kill all non-human supernatural beings without any distinction.

On the other side, there were the moderates who believed in cooperation, thinking that the normal code of magi also applied to the members of the Burial Agency. Among these are Bishop Magnus and Xylouris Trigger.

The External Pope and his faction must have made their move.

They plan to take the wish of this Holy Grail and use it to destroy all non-human supernatural creatures.

It was crazy. But when the Holy Grail was involved, everything was crazy.

Those guys probably aren't even from the Burial Agency. The only good one is Redhead, he's a major figure in the extermination movement. Trigger thought. So now the Frenchwoman cleans up for the crisis caused by the Frenchwoman.

I lay on my bed. This would make good reading for anyone reading the report.

Assassin (Li Shuwen):

Strength: B

Endurance: C

Magic: E

Agility: A

Luck: E

Skills: Demon Fist Master: A.

A Second Strike is Not Required: A. His style revolves around hitting and disabling his opponent in one strike.

Presence Isolation: A. Nearly impossible to detect, invisible even to the naked eye.

Chinese Martial Arts: A++. To the point of being a master.

Instinct: A+. Honed through years of combat.

Eye of the Mind (False): A+

Caster (Nursery Rhyme):

Strength: D

Endurance: C

Magic: A

Agility: B

Luck: C.

Skills:

Pipe of the Leader: B+. Allows the Caster to summon and control animals.

Territory Creation: A. Territory is created when a full bar of the music is played.

Subversive Activities: A.

Eye of the Mind: (False): B.

Noble Phantasm: March of the Little Creatures. A. Allows the creatures to temporarily assume the forms of little monsters as they did in the story to use themselves as Broken Phantasms and attack the enemy.

Lancer (Vlad III):

Strength: B

Endurance: A

Magic: E

Agility: A

Luck: D

Skills:

Protection of the Faith: A++: Like Mad Enhancement, only with more religion/stupid.

A F**kin' Vampire!: B. Boosts physical capabilities.

Protection from Arrows: C.

Soul of a Martyr: B. He was said to be faithful without being always obedient.

Noble Phantasm: Vlad the Impaler: A. A hail of spears is thrown, causing a spread to impale the enemy.

Rider (Arturia):

Strength: B+

Endurance: B+

Magic: E

Agility: A

Luck: B

Skills:

Riding: B.

Instinct: A+

Charisma: B.

Eye of the Mind (False): B.

Noble Phantasm:

Invisible Air: C

EX! CALIBUUUUR!: A+.

Dragon Rider: A. As Arturia PenDRAGON, she can summon the prana of a dragon and call one into modern times, using it to defeat the enemy.

Sheath of Avalon: N/A. :D

Ruler (Joan of Arc):

Strength: B (A)

Endurance: B+ (A)

Agility: A+ (A++)

Magic: C (B)

Luck: B (A)

Skills:

Magic Resistance: EX. Look, just don't try magic, alright?

Revelation + Instinct: A+.

Saint: A+

Divinity: C. Being blessed by God, she has been given a strength boost, along with levels in Divinity.

Protection of the Faith: C. Has not mangled her personality to the extent of Lancer, but she has her moments.

Battle Continuation: A+

Noble Phantasms:

Miracle of the Faith: A+: Allows her to do one impossible move during battle. Can be applied to Gae Bolg and other destiny-changing attacks.

La Pucelle: The Crimson Holy Woman. EX.

A holy sword that manifest flames which uses the line of a death poem "O Lord, I entrust this body to you-" as activation incantation. A conceptual crystallization weapon that interpreted Joan's burning at the stake in an attack-like fashion. A subspecies of Reality Marble, an imagined landscape crystallized as a sword. This sword is Heroic Spirit Joan of Arc herself and after the battle in which this Noble Phantasm was manifested, Joan will be extinguished.


	7. The Second Lull: Rest

"Requiescat in Pace, mi amico."

With those words the One Clad In Black, who was actually in white now, stabbed the dark robe that he had worn into the ground with a dagger.

It was a sort-of funeral for his friend. He stood there for a few minutes, staring at the ground.

He moved on.

He had other things to do.

"I like this dark bow, Saber." Evans said as he admired the feel of his new, black bow. The structure of the bow resembled metal that had been burned into a shade of deep black. It was huge, reaching from Evans' ankles to above his head.

"No need to thank me, Master."

"It's wonderful." He said. "We're here."

They looked up. They could feel someone up there.

"Now we wait."

Underground, the two of them began to eat their rations.

The crystals were glowing.

"Perfect. Be fine, Berserker."

Kiyousukei sat on a chair at his Servant's bedside.

She was asleep. He had prepared defences that only a magi would be affected by, traps, tripwire, crystalline boundaries, and golems as a last resort.

But it was not enough. Not enough to prevent his Servant, the one he wanted to protect, from being hurt.

He cursed his own failure.

I've been fighting this war like a game until this point, but that ends now.

Kiyousukei balled up his fists. In his hands he held Berserker's left hand.

I will not let this happen to Berserker again.

Kenichi Tohno was at his bed, recovering. This had been the second time in this War that he had been forced to lay in bed. Rider stood guard nearby, just in case.

"Your guests have arrived."

Four shadowy figures entered the room.

"From here on, we travel together." One of the hooded figures spoke up. "It's too risky to be moving on our own." The other figure nodded while the other two stayed stock-still.

Just wait until I'm out of bed. Nakasorachi won't be the only one who'll die.

"Cheers, Lancer." Tensai said as he put up a set of lights. They were Christmas lights, the kind you would easily find at the store.

"What's the occasion, Master?"

"Nothing, just the completion of a proper workshop for a magus." Tensai said.

Lancer nodded.

The awkwardness was still there.

But neither of them seemed to mind.

"Archer, are they in position?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. I don't want anyone entering here."

Hashimoto was on the run again. While he had been getting ready, someone had set fire to his area. The city's fire department should be able to handle it. As if to reassure him, a fire truck rushed past, already extending its hose to battle the blaze.

Right now he was fleeing towards the bridge for his life, his every step pressured and heavy, as if there was an enemy Servant hot on his heels.

Berserker said nothing as always.

Archer was silent.

They stepped onto the bridge.

"It's been a long time, Shin'ichi. I'm sorry about your hideout, but we couldn't get there in time." A tall redhead came forth to greet him. In his group were a young, blond-haired and jade-eyed girl with armor, a short man who had also built up a reserve of fat and the tall, lean man behind him who twirled a flute. Next came the tall, lean one in the habit who appeared to be alone. The last was a huge man in both breadth and height, who was standing next to an unshaven man with a malevolent and bloody red lance.

"H-Harvey." Shin'ichi stammered. "Thank God you're here."

"I'll be taking command. Your Berserker comes with me, Archer goes with Caster here." He said. "Travel in teams of two and alert each other if you're attacked. Remember to use your Link Crystals if you need help." With these words he raised the blue gem that encased his palm. "These things only have one charge, so if you use them, make sure you kill whoever you saw, got that?"

They nodded.

"Then let's go. Rider, into the air! Berserker with me!"

They already knew what they had to do.

All that was left was to execute it.


	8. Mob Rule

Kiyousukei was outside having a coffee. His wallet was light, but his heart was lighter.

Today he had bought a huge amount of security paraphernalia, allowing him to prepare for war and to protect his building. The huge pile of security gadgets was back at the hotel, including CCTV, motion detectors, pressure sensors, among other things. But the most important things he had to go out again to buy.

Not only did he now have a deadly, sleek, 5.56 FAMAS "Trumpet" with him, but he was also armed to the teeth with two, large, fluffy bears. They were so fluffy that to touch them was to be sent into the Fluff Dimension and to never return.

Berserker would be pleased.

Tensai Takizawa was finally on the move.

He had gathered together a large amount of oil and his workshop and had packed it neatly into a train.

"Lancer, make sure that all of the items are in their proper place."

"Yes, Master."

"And get yourself a conductor's outfit."

"What?"

"Just… do it."

"Daichi, I found a cue card over here." Ken Marker spoke into the magical communication array. "Berserker is Penthesilea."

"Hmm… I thought so. I haven't found anything, maybe your luck is turning around?"

"It must be." Kenichi said. "None of us have been attacked, either."

"Let's hope our luck holds."

"Archer, we hide."

"You've got it, boss."

With that, the great army put up its camouflage and prepared for the onslaught.

The enemy was on its way.

Assassin was on the very edge of the roof.

In front of him was the barrel of his opponent's sniper.

He reached up and stabbed the sniper in the chest. Before he could react he was pulled with tremendous force onto the roof, but not before he saw the lights in the hotel wink off.

He felt more than saw the lights go out as the great alchemical dome closed above him. He threw a smoke bomb immediately. In front of him, Saber, covered by swirling blades, stood and stared him down. The Master was covered as well.

He was in a deadlock.

The shade of black exited out the front door. He encountered a frantic man running back inside as if for his life, but ignored him.

It was all up to Assassin now.

Kiyousukei reached the roof. He was tired and almost ready to give out, but he had done what he had to. Placing the gem in Berserker's pendant, he continued to run as the pinnacle of his latest study was created.

Crystal World Defense: Prison. One of the three types of crystal arenas he had, this one prevented magi from leaving, and even gave Servants a run for their money. After running, he opened the door to the roof.

And two blurs ran right past him.

A second later he was impaled on an adamantium spike.

There was no warning. With the ears of a dying man, he heard a baritone voice announce:

"Kiyousukei is dead." His last thoughts were of the Stephano bears he had left in Berserker's room.

Looks like I won't be able to share them with her after all.

Assassin was cut up.

He had been stabbed multiple times, yet he was still running.

As soon as the door had opened, he had taken a shot at the Master on the roof. Using the split second of time that Saber had used to push her Master through the floor somehow, with a large discharge of lightning and a red flash, he had kicked off, Saber blasting off behind him, firing earthen spikes. The roof itself had been covered with earthen spikes.

No matter how fast he was, he had not been able to escape. He had been slashed, every part of him, from head to toe. Earthen spikes impaled his body, one in his head, two for each of his legs, one for each of his shoulders and three in the chest. He was done, if not for his A+ Battle Continuation.

But at this point even that would not save him.

And yet he made the leap of faith from the window.

Maybe his body remembered even as it died, maybe it was just pure instinct or will to survive.

But he had left the window of the twenty-fifth floor alive. As he fell, he saw the golden light.

The golden light that was the herald of death. The last sound his ears heard were these words:

"EX!"

"CALIBUR!"

And then the world turned white.

"Assassin is dead."

His body hit the floor, three seconds too late. Above him the building exploded into a pillar of light.

Appendix A: Tiger Dojo: Kiyousukei.

"Hello, hello!"

"Good morning, everybody~!"

"Hello there."

Three girls, one a black-haired, eyeglass-wearing nun, one a brown haired teacher who looked like she was a child, and one girl with white hair, red eyes, and a very small body size each made one of these remarks.

They were Elesia, Taiga, and Ilya respectively.

"Well, it's our first Tiger Dojo of the new season! I for one, can't wait to make our first appearance in…" Taiga went on a verbal rampage.

"Sensei, this isn't an official Type-Moon work." Ilya said. "In fact, it's just a lazily-made, half plagiarized fan fiction by some idiot trying to play Kotomine with his eight friends." She pouted. "In other words, we got paid to be disgraced."

"That's right, and they even framed me for being the cause of the crisis!" Ciel yelled. "Who writes this crap!?" She screamed as she pulled out two hands of Black Keys. She and Ilya were ready to explode before they saw Fujimura Taiga, standing strong, arms crossed.

"Ilya… Ciel… don't you understand?" She asked "With the release of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, the Tsukihime remake is fast being anticipated! With an opportunity like this, we can whet the appetites of our dear readers, both in English and in Japanese!" She took a breath as she continued to speak. "We can even petition for a Tiger Dojo spinoff for Tsukihime 2!"

Ilya and Ciel only stared in shock.

"Anyway! Kiyousukei Sousuki, was it?" She asked before running us over with her words again. "Listen, your teammate is quite the reckless defender, even if he shouldn't be because he's a sniper." She took on quite a teacherly air as she continued. "So you have to coordinate carefully! The next time you play, instead of learning the game, try to get a feel for your partner, whether it's a Master or a Servant, alright? Well, see you at the next Tiger Dojo!"

It's hard to describe the effect of a Fujimura Taiga in words. To be honest, the closest thing I can think of is getting high. It's like you gain this huge burst of energy to do a certain thing before it all goes away.

And the two sceptics were no exception.

"Sensei!" Ilya screamed as she hugged Taiga around the waist. "I didn't believe you at first, but you were so energetic! You reminded me of the glory days in Fuyuki!" She buried her head in Taiga's chest and continued to cry with joy.

Ciel, on the other hand, had a completely different reaction.

"Let me show you how it's done."

Appendix B: Teach Me, Ciel-Sensei: Assassin.

"Oh, Assassin-kun, Assassin-kun, your Master has pushed you too hard." She said. "Even though he was down a Command Spell, he used you to fight an unknown opponent." She was sitting on a school table which had magically appeared inside the dojo. The two stared on in wonder, critiquing her style.

"I'm sure your Master knew the risks, but I wouldn't be too worried." She said. "After all, a Master is resourceful, yours being no exception. On the other hand, try to be more restrained next time."

The camera stopped rolling and the segment concluded. Ilya and Taiga looked on at Ciel.

"Hmm… it really fits her smart, onee-san (bigger sister/ older woman in general) character." Ilya and Taiga nodded. "I don't think she'll fit in on the show, though, we should have her replaced…"

That sentence would have been concluded had it not been for the five Black Keys that drove a line straight between Ilya and Taiga.

"Who's going to be replaced, now?" She asked. "Come on, we're on this show together, it's fine to tell me…"

"I WILL DEFEND THE TIGER DOJO WITH MY LIFE!" With that, Taiga took up a kendo stance and hefted her shinai (bamboo sword). Ciel responded by raising a few Black Keys.

"We'll be back next time!" Ilya said, as the Saber and the Archer clashed in the background.

Tiger Dojo 1: End.

_Continue reporting now._

Evans Masterson was now horribly effeminate. Still bleeding, but horribly effeminate.

"Saber… are you alright?" He asked.

"I should be asking you that." She said. "To turn yourself into a girl while trying to escape; are you crazy?"

"It's all for the mission, Saber. It's all for the mission."

They ran through the night. Their ally had a contact in the industrial area, which was where they were to regroup.

Don't let me down, Berserker.

The sounds of war echoed in Izaya's night streets.

Two Amazons, back to back, fired an arrow each at a pair of sparrows, which fell to the ground.

"Forward!"

The others in the front pushed forward, shields raised and spears ready to strike. In the middle of them was their leader, crying and broken. Although what was left of the person in her arms was already limp, rigid, and pale from blood loss, his organs and his meat run through with holes, and coated with his dying blood, she kept on muttering, "God, you idiot, don't die on me now! I n-need you, please…. Please! Don't die yet!" She also carried an unconscious man with her, who was to be her Master's new host.

So far, none of the creatures had reached the center, the front formation ensuring that no one got through the shields acting as dozer blades. The sides were defended by knife-throwing Amazons who shot down even the smallest birds and in the back, the rear guard, archers shot down the fast running chasing force that dared approach…. Amazons were good at all of these, now their skills were being put to the test….

It was a battle of trained humans against absolute monsters.

They reached the border, but to their surprise, there was someone there already.

It was the monster that had brought down that giant blade of light.

"He's dead. I know what dead looks like."

Before her stood a petite girl in silver-and-blue armor. Her green eyes and tightly bunned golden hair were silhouetted in the dying light. As the sun set, she seemed to only increase in glory.

This was Rider, the knight Arturia Pendragon.

"There is no bringing back the dead, or honor in slandering their name with your blood. Let him go and leave your pity behind."

Penthesilea didn't know what came over her. She didn't know what mad impulse invited her to charge to her certain death towards the dragon, the Rider Arturia. Her comrades watched on as she charged without regard for her own life.

She only knew that this man had helped her, fed her, clothed her, and treated her as a normal human being.

After all she had suffered at the hands of men, to her it was rain in the desert.

A long time ago, when she had been alive, when the legends and myths were still real, she had been slandered by men and women alike. In desperation to prove her name she had sailed to Troy along with a squad of her faithful comrades, the same ones that stood beside her today.

And the same ones that she had led to their death, and whose spirits had watched as she begged for her life. As if that was not enough, her opponent had afflicted her with the ultimate humiliation.

Achilles, hero of Troy and savior of the Greeks, had defiled her dead body.

In comparison to all that, who wouldn't fall in love with even an otaku with a madman's side?

She ran forward. Rider sighed and raised her sword.

"Just know that if I was in control I would not slay you." Rider pronounced these words before she charged with her invisible sword.

She rushed forward, aegis in hand, spear in the other, and ears not hearing. Her mind was full of nothing but the desire to destroy the woman in front of her.

"Lancer."

"Yes, Master?"

"Drive the train onto the bridge. I'll use wind magic to slice the enemy away."

"Any other orders?"

"Yes. Do not mind the noise I will make as we charge."

"As you wish."

"Berserker!" Hashimoto was about to yell this one word, but he was stopped again by his superior.

"Stop, Shin'ichi!" He said. "This could be useful…"

Once again they clashed in the dying light.

Berserker knew that she was outmatched. She had not quite figured out the size and shape of the invisible sword, and she was tired from carrying her Master. Powered by grief and rage, she was stronger than she had ever been.

But her opponent was on another level entirely.

A golden knight who shines on the battlefield as she delivers death. Her every strike, enhanced with the magic coming from the lettering of the fairies on her sword. Her every move, placed with perfect technique.

If Kiyousukei was alive, he would be assisting her with the dispatch of this monster.

But she was standing alone for his sake, so she could not beg for help.

She would end this Rider's life here and now.

"CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHOO CHOO!"

"Master…"

"I told you not to mind me, Lancer!"

The sound of metal wheels on solid concrete lasted barely a second before the great lump of train, attacking with wind magic, cut the bridge, the creatures, the Amazons, and the battle between Servants apart.

Coming from down the bridge, the train was a deadly, thirty-car bullet that ground anyone unlucky enough to be under its wheels. Penthesilea and Arturia managed to hear and escape the wheels of the deadly machine.

On the other hand, the Amazons on the other end of the bridge and the animals they were fighting were not so lucky. They were slaughtered, crushed under the merciless wheels of the train. The train had crushed the Amazon formation, chewing and tearing at their meat and scattering the blood under its wheels. The distinct sound of crushing bone could be heard. The wind blew slashes, striking at anything that was there. Although Penthesilea had jumped out of the way quickly enough, Master in hand, Arturia merely stood there, taking the attacks of wind like they were nothing. As she wondered at her resilience, the train stopped.

And then it was quiet. No creatures screaming in pain or in rage, no invisible sword and enchanted spear clashing in the night.

There was only the passing of time and the coming of the night.

And then the train suddenly turned on its tail, smashing the weight of the end cars into Arturia.

Berserker knew what had to be done.

She grabbed her cargo; Master and guest, and flew across the roads. Behind her, the train continued to charge Arturia, slashing as it went.

Berserker felt no time and no fatigue. She felt no pain, no fear, nothing anymore. She felt surprisingly empty.

Except for the warmth that was slung over her shoulder. The body was somehow still warm.

She ran straight through the night towards the rendezvous point. Only the darkness shadowed her steps.

And as she remembered her sisters fallen in war, she shed silent tears.

But she knew that she did not have the right to cry until the battle was over.

The maiden of the holy sword, the worker of miracles, ran. Her speed rendered her nothing but a silver blur, dancing in the dark. Her sword and armor gleamed a stately silver.

She ran towards the train, which was thrashing wildly in an attempt to kill the Rider Arturia. But she merely tossed herself to the side, knowing full well that it would get them nowhere. The train continued to attempt to kill her.

She jumped to the right one last time, off the bridge. She fell. Joan chased her, only to find that she had flown away as a dragon.

There was no use to her being here as well.

She ran, legs working overtime, to catch up to the dragon.

It had been a long afternoon of running.

And she suspected it would be an even longer night.

"Let them go, Lancer". Tensai told his Servant. "We don't want to raise any more trouble."

The train returned to where it came from.

It was strange to end a battle by leaving. Quite awkward, actually.

But that was fine with them.

Penthesilea reached the old man's house. She sighed with relief. The door was open and she rushed in, carrying the body of her Master. She practically flew up the stairs to reach the upper floor where her ally was holed up. Evans was lying on the bed, nursing his stab wound, while Saber was already there.

"Let's start."

Evans Masterson raised his hand, with the two marks of the Saber on it. Although he was injured in the chest, he still had the strength to raise his hand and pour prana to it.

This was beyond being just a magus, he was a soldier. The kind of person who would not hesitate to use any means to win. He recited his two orders.

"Saber, Soul Transfer!"

With those two words, Saber nodded. "I understand." She quickly began to carve the blood sigils on the new body. As this was happening, Evans took two Command Spells from the body of the original Kiyousukei.

The ritual began.

Saber began to quickly scribble the circle on the ground. Alchemy in her world required the use of complicated circles. What she was painting on the ground was a ritual circle designed to bring back the souls of the dead and place them into an alternate body. She quickly ran her chalk across the ground, drawing lines, circles, triangles, and ancient lettering.

But she felt something wrong. She looked up from her artistry, turning her head with almost enough force to snap her neck.

"EX!"

She crossed her arms over her head and stood in front of the blade. Berserker began to support her from behind.

They could survive this.

But the blade of light came down ruthlessly. She had B rank magic resistance, so it would be just barely possible. The Excalibur was in the way of her using Soul Transfer and it would be very bad if her Master or the bodies were to be killed.

So she crossed her arms, noble warrior that she was.

The blade of yellow light struck. It almost burned through her Noble Phantasm, the "Master Alchemist's Wrath", which increased the strength of all of her alchemical creations, allowing her to stand up to even an A+ attack.

What she did not notice were the rats jumping her from the floor and exploding. Peppered with the "March of the Little Creatures", she was forced to step back and address them while Berserker dealt with Rider.

They could survive. They might live. It would be hard, but they would prevail.

And then the red spear snaked under her guard. Without any ado she summoned the 15 blades that formed one of her Noble Phantasms, "Judgment Blades". This was the proof of her being Saber. The fifteen perfectly carved and forged blades were one of her greatest creations, autonomously cutting blades that protected the wielder. Gae Bolg had been deflected.

But she knew that the instant she did that it would turn around and strike straight at her heart. As her Master fired his vacuum bullets, putting his life at risk for just a chance at hitting his opponents, she began her final requiem.

Immediately she prepared to use her final weapon, the "Death Pierce". In seconds, stalagmites created out of adamantium, a metal that could destroy even Servants, would pierce the world around her.

She smiled. She would take her opponents down with her. Her chant was already half over when it happened.

In the space of instants, Gae Bolg had pierced through the wall of swords, and nine flaming arrows struck between the blades.

Quickly she fired the weapon at Berserker. Twelve large spikes rushed out to destroy Cu Chulainn.

She would at least take out the largest threat. That blood-red spear that reverses cause and effect is a weapon that cannot be protected against.

But what happened next was unthinkable.

Archer rushed to push Berserker aside.

And he took every one of the twelve spikes into himself. As she saw this, she regained awareness of her body. She noted the red spear stuck in her chest. She also noted the five arrows that had all struck her perfectly through the spinning blades.

"Oh, so I lost." She said. "Judgment Blades still needs some work."

"True, but not quite." Archer said. "I like how you blew through all of my lives with one attack. I haven't felt this good since I took on Perseus."

And then they both fell forward, leaving only Berserker, Rider, and Caster left. Evans continued to fire, but none of the Servants minded. To them, dodging such an attack on flat level ground was nothing. He picked himself up and tried to run.

But Berserker got to him first. He didn't even need his spear, he merely punched through the hole in his chest.

Straight for Evans' heart.

Maybe it was the last burst of energy.

Maybe it was the knowledge that his life no longer mattered.

But he fired his last vacuum blast, larger and deadlier than even his greatest attack.

It smashed into Cu Chulainn, throwing him back and seriously wounding him.

He smiled.

At the very least, I'm going to kill until the end. He thought. Sucks that I couldn't win, though.

Evans fell to the ground dead. One more Master had fallen.

As this happened, Rider took on Penthesilea.

"I would not be doing this if not for the Command Spell." The tones of the noble knight Arturia resounded. "I would have gladly protected you from these prideless mercenaries."

"Should've, would've, could've." She said. The clarity was back. The determination to protect the man she cared for had returned with a vengeance. "Die, Arturia Pendragon!"

With that, the Queen of Amazons and the King of Knights charged each other.

Thanks to the lack of prana, the outcome was decided before the fight even ended.

The Berserker with a spear disappeared into the air as she lunged. Arturia said a silent prayer to them.

But the night was not over. In the rear, Caster's scream was heard. His Master was no better, with a scream that pierced the air.

There could only be one meaning to a defeat that quick and fear that intense in even a Burial Agency member.

The La Pucelle had made her appearance. A decision was quickly made. Rider transformed back into the dragon while Berserker climbed on. Joan of Arc jumped after the dragon, but she was too slow to grab the wings or claws.

And they flew back into the night, Joan of Arc left to gaze at their escape.

"Alright, if that's how you want it."

With that, she ran back the way she came.

Aside from the beating of wings and the sound of metal shoes on ground, the night was silent again.

Joan of Arc:

Protection of the Faith: C - B.

Divinity: C - B.

Appendix A: Tiger Dojo: Berserker, Evans, and Saber.

The tall, hyperactive one and the small 18-year old stared in shock.

"It looks like they're having fun dying mercilessly!" Taiga yelled. "I think that they really had fun, because they at least took a Servant with them!"

"Yes, yes, it was wonderful!" Ilya said. "Well, for the quality of the writer, anyway."

"Yes, well, it is stupid fan fiction." Taiga said. "Anyway, on to the advice! To be honest, there are some times in life when there are people that you can't save, it's a fact of life. Depressing, but true." Taiga said, shaking her head. "Trying to save these people will not help at all."

"Oh, you mean like Mi**** (Minato) from P****** (Persona 3)?" Ilya asked. "I played that a while back, and I always wondered why I couldn't save him."

"Idiot!" With that, her bokken struck the side of Ilya's head, resulting in a comic lump between her hair. "Don't you understand that he was a necessary sacrifice? It was fated for him to pass on! If anything, it would have to be S****** (Satsuki) from T******** (Tsukihime)!"

The black nun in the corner sighed, before straightening up and yelling. "Look, there are just some times when you can't win!" Ciel yelled. "You two, don't just stand there doing a comedy routine, help me out here! And stop talking with asterisks!"

"Don't you understand!?" Taiga yelled. "Off-topic conversations are a sacred tradition in my dojo! Don't you dare disrespect me!" A flaming background appeared behind her, and, bokken in hand, she charged Ciel. The nun responded by blocking the bokken with her arms.

"Ho, you're good." Taiga said.

"The same could be said of you." Ciel responded. The two warriors glared at each other intensely before breaking apart.

"There goes our funding…" Ilya sighed. "I don't think we'll be back, but just remember not to be too greedy, alright?"

"Come to think of it, what about the other Servants?" Ciel asked.

"They're non-player characters, they're not important enough." Taiga said, waving her hand in the air. "Don't be too greedy, Ciel." She said in a mocking tome.

"Oh dear, it looks like someone is asking for a fight." Ciel said.

Ilya sighed as the two women collided again. Then she gave her full-power smile.

"Have a good time, everybody!"

Tiger Dojo 3: End.


	9. Impending End

"Yes, Bishop, I have reason to believe that there will be nothing left of Izaya after the War." I said. "With the number and strength of the Servants in this city, there is doubt that we will be able to control the destruction."

"I understand that." The Bishop said. "Nevertheless, the Magi Association has declared that the War must continue." He spat those words out as if with contempt. "The Magi Association wants its sorcery very badly." Bishop Magnus continued.

"Give the evacuation order."

"Yes. And then I will come down there myself to inspect the damage." He said.

"Two of the men from the Burial Agency are dead." I said.

"I do not mind. What is important is whether the plan can continue."

"Of course." I said. "The plan must continue."

"Archer, the troops are scouting out as always?"

"Yes, Master."

The general and his liege waited in his basement headquarters. There was only a minute's time before the report was in.

"Master. Activity."

"Got it."

"And we're back, Lancer!"

"Yes, indeed we are… why did we move again?"

"To get some fresh air."

They smiled at each other. And the train hurtled through the night.

Off the rails.

"Everybody on?" Daichi asked. The four in the back assented. They were on a giant eagle.

"We know what we have to do." Kenichi said. "We're getting off. Let's do this."

"All right then, Caster, start the fireworks."

Plumes of flames covered the night sky, showing off the power of the magi who had wrought it. It could be seen from across the next town.

"Now we wait." Daichi said to himself.

The trash can with a snake head in it slowly bounced forward.

She came across a group of men with traditional armor. They passed by.

"This looks suspicious. Luka!" She said, yelling quietly into her communicator. "Get over here and save me, Luka!"

"Save you!? You were the one who agreed to scouting duty!" He yelled.

"But Luka-chan~!" She yelled. "I'm scaa~red!"

"The deal with it!" Luka hissed.

"Aww, and I was going to reward you for saving me!" She yelled.

"Forget this!" He said. "Take it, Master!"

After that, she dutifully gave her report.

The men of the Burial Agency regrouped, framed by the fireworks that burned the night sky.

They knew that others would take the bait.

This time they would be the hammer that crushes the mouse.

Joan of Arc continued to pray in the mountains. Her pious, kneeling figure was in stark contrast with the charred and burned ground around her.

She wondered whether she would find the Burial Agents in the direction of the fireworks. On one hand, they could be there, while on the other hand, they would not attract attention to themselves if they wanted to win.

_Hiding losers or baiting the winners? O God, strike down that uncooperative fake priest who would not give me all of his information._

Then she decided.

The voices in her head had spoken.

She ran away from the fireworks.

"Bishop, I suggest you take a private plane." I said.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Because there may not be an airport when you get here." I said. "They're going to start again."


	10. Spectation and Development

"We wait. We continue to wait."

Daichi Mamoru said these words even as arrows began to come down on them. The rain of wooden shafts continued for a few minutes before it stopped. After that, they began to return to their positions. Below, Ken Marker was educating his new familiar, his Servant making a disgusted face. In the midst of this peace an explosion boomed. The new familiar quickly flew after the flame, to the relief of Ken's Saber.

And a huge flaming spear shook the night. They gazed over at the warehouse district.

All of it was on fire.

"That should get their attention." Bob spoke to his Servant Archer and his fellow riders.

"This will go well." Tensai said. As Bob and Archer began their own conversation, Tensai and his Servant sank into silence as they sat in the train.

But neither of them seemed to mind.

Another flaming spear shot out of the train.

This time it arced into the residential district to the north, at the foot of a mountain.

And the place burst into flames.

"Yes… that's it… the La Pucelle is almost here."

"Keep running, Hashimoto!"

With that they continued to run fearfully from the Maiden of Orleans. Behind them was an inconspicuous train.

"Master, there are Servants in that train." A man in traditional Chinese garb said. Li Shuwen warned his Master. "They could attack us."

"That would be just one more problem, Assassin. Keep running!"

Behind them the golden knight ran at top speed.

"Bishop. I'm glad you're on your way. Get some sleep on the plane." I spoke into the magecraft communicator. "Yes, yes. There's a lot of damage. Yes, I think this city should be abandoned. There's been too much destruction here. Get an evacuation group here."

"Are you crazy?" He asked. "You're a supervisor and you're supposed to stop things like this from happening!"

"We'll see." I said. "It was an unforeseen circumstance."

The winged girl flew through the night. If someone were to see her from below, she would be a low-flying plane.

But if they could see her cargo of high explosive, they would be very scared. It was a few bombs made out of military-grade RDX explosive. It was highly volatile and dangerous.

In front of her was the shrine where the priest lived.

_I love a challenge._

Kenichi Tohno was, uncharacteristically for him, watching and waiting. But he was not idly wasting his time, instead he was watching and analyzing the battle between Servants extremely intently. On his shoulder was a blue wisp tinted red in the darkness.

"Are you watching, Rider?" He asked. "I would much rather have chased the train, but we can't change now."

"Yes, Kenichi. But teamwork comes first. No army can live with its members disobeying the orders."

They continued to observe. Beside him, Ken Marker was doing the same, along with his Servant Saber.

What was even more unusual for them was that there were snacks in their hands. Kenichi cradled a hotdog which had been horribly impaled on a wooden stick. Ken, on the other hand, held a bucket of butter-flavored popcorn, no salt.

"You want some, Saber?" Ken asked. "It's just butter, so anyone can enjoy!"

"No, but I'm sure Alice would love some." He responded. "That girl really eats anything they say is good." As they were having this conversation, the two Masters were intently watching.

"Rider! Did you see that?" Kenichi asked.

"W-What!?" She asked, obviously because she had her mind on someone else. Most of the passengers on the eagle snickered, with even the careful Daichi laughing a bit.

"Joan of Arc's defense is perfect, but those three are batting away at her like mad." He said. "This can't last too long."

"Come to think of it, why does Joan of Arc look just like Arturia?" Ken asked.

"Probably just the lazy character designers." Kenichi said.

"Or it's the Saber trademark." Ken said, watching the battle absently.

"I honestly don't like them." Kenichi said. "I prefer stronger women myself. Older and wiser is more my thing."

Hidden in the night, the blue-on-red wisp turned into nothing but red.

_He's talking about me…_ The wisp thought. It felt somewhat happy and flew closer to Kenichi's shoulder.

They continued to survey the battle from afar.

"Master, I don't think what we just did was the best decision." Archer said. They were hiding out in the mountains. Behind them, Lancer and his Master were in their workshop. Archer was staring down at the city.

The city they had destroyed. The only things left now were fire and rubble.

"I don't like this either." Bob said. "But it's the only way."

The La Pucelle was getting impatient.

They were stalling. They were very obviously just stalling for time. Every attack she sent was merely beaten back, and they were just making halfhearted moves at her. IN this way, she could not advance and she could not retreat.

She knew that there was more than met the eye with these men, but she had never felt so frustrated before. She decided to chat.

"So, Rider." She asked. "Why do you look so ugly, pretending to be a hero?" She asked. No conversation could be made with Berserker, and Lancer seemed a horrible conversationlaist.

"Speak for yourself, you wretched cur!" The proud Rider replied. "No Ruler would dare show their face when it's that blemished but you!"

"How dare you!" Joan yelled.

They no longer spoke, only rebutting each other with their swords.

_Damn that uncooperative priest. _She thought. _I could have killed them much faster had he helped me._

Far above them, the quick trade of blows and words had not gone unnoticed.

"Did they just call each other ugly even though they look exactly the same!?" Ken asked incredulously. Kenichi muttered a two-syllable response.

"Hurr durr."


	11. Touch Fluffy Tail

"Bishop... you are landing later today, right?"

"Yes, Trigger, I am." He said. "Will there be any problems?"

"No, no, not at all." I said.

"I see." He said. I looked over the river.

What was left of the city had already been evacuated. My island had also been completely evacuated, save myself. There were no people in the city save me. I sighed.

_This city is finished._ I thought. _And all for a few whims._

I recalled the events of the day.

Contrary to what might have been mentioned, the one clad in black was still alive. He was hiding out in what had been an evacuation area before the spears of fire had crushed and burned most of the city.

He knew that his ally was up to no good. He could not get a signal.

"Dammit." He said. "Where's that Bob when you need him?"

As if in response, the hundred foot-long flaming spear crashed into the area, exploding into a burning ball.

And so the man clad in black was turned into the man who was black, for he was nothing more than ashes.

But nobody seemed to mind.

She could sense it.

She was being backed into a corner.

The La Pucelle was being pushed back. Two warriors from the land across the channel, one a raging madman and the other an immoral harlot were attacking her. Joining them was an Eastern European scum with a lance who impaled his own people.

The last one of them had disengaged. Seeing her chance, she tried to rush him, but she was held back by the spear and the sword of promised victory.

She watched as a rain of spears flew towards her.

"I call thee, spear that smites the sinner, KAZIKLI BEY!" The man yelled in a deep, commanding voice.

And the spears formed a deadly cloud.

"I can't take this anymore!" Ken Marker shouted. "I just want people to live in peace!"

"I'm with you on that." Kenichi said. "Rider, we're going down!"

"Saber!"

"Ready when you are, Master!" The four readied their weapons and were about to jump. "It's time to be a hero!"

If anyone was watching at this point, they would have noticed something strange. For some reason, without there being speakers of any kind, hard rock began to play from on high, with guitar riffs piercing the air..

"Hold on a minute." Daichi said. "Caster, let's soften them up a bit." The four assented. The man in the magi's robes stepped forward. Fire began to form in the night sky.

He started a barrage of his own. The other two pairs of heroes charged out after it. As they fell, the electrosynthesizers began to play.

"Tch." That was all the martyr-maiden had time to say as she flew.

More accurately, she was speeding around, springing from place to place in order to dodge the rain of spears while fending off her two opponents.

_~Touch Fluffy Tail – Ken Ashcorp~_

_Pick up my sword, it's time to do business!_

It was a game that could not continue for long. Eventually her reflexes would fail her, she would make one wrong move, and it would all be over. And there was still that other one…

_Strap on my cloak, I'm out to roll with this,_

She grimaced as one of them bounced off her armor. It was not enough to hurt her, but it sent her into an uncontrollable tailspin.

She had no hope. The last spear, the Kazikli Bey, came down upon her.

_When you're this swag, this world just bows at your, knees!_

"Let's do this, Gnome!" She heard a voice yell from on high. "It's time to be a hero!"

_Call me a chef, 'coz I'll make your blood boil!_

She would never, for as long as she lived, forget the details of what happened next. It was a boy, about 15 years of age, wielding a great grey demonic sword that cut energy. She could also see words slightly above his head and fading away as she saw them "Earth Rumbling Decapitation." She herself was slightly shocked by the blow. As the boy stepped in, a rain of fire followed him, targeting her opponents. They pranced, dodging the fire as she had dodged the spears.

_(Hora, hora) Give me some of that coil!_

She was engaged again by her unknowing lookalike, the Rider. Both raised their swords.

There were no words, only the clashing of weapons.

_Snake oil 'coz you know, I aim to please~_

"Split up, Rider!" Kenichi ordered. "Back up Ken and make sure Berserker doesn't get a Gae Bolg off!"

"But-!" She yelled, but he cut her off.

_Tickle my fancy, tickle my PROS-tate!_

"This is for the sake of the mission! Go!" He yelled. He ripped a gap open in the film of life and reappeared at the other end. His spear ran through the Lancer.

"Back me up, Luka!" He yelled. Together they hurtled into the gap, Lancer between them.

_Don't get me off, 'coz I'll just get I-rate!_

"Kenichi… I will not let you down, Master." With those words Rider stormed in front of the spearman. "I will not let you pass! Ken, let us destroy this madman!"

"I couldn't agree with you more!" He yelled. The energy field that he had created was already up and would protect him from being immediately killed by Gae Bolg. He began his lookout for the last Assassin.

"Now! Throw your Black Keys and kill them!"

The rain of magical swords commenced.

_Put in my place, but I'll break out once again!_

Li Shuwen's fist struck at the heart of the maiden. She staggered.

He had made no noise, could not have been seen, and he had sealed his opponent's Magic Circuits. A perfect assassination.

_And all these encounters may just leave me scarred!_

He jumped at the magus standing behind Rider, who was under fire from both their Rider and Berserker. The arrows of fire were easy to dodge. He came up behind the magus.

_But when I'm rock hard, I fucking rock hard!_

And he took three lasers at point-blank range to the face. After that, a barrier seemed to expand and push him away explosively, throwing him about ten feet back.

"Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hit you!" Ken taunted his opponent as he fired off another volley of lasers. His defensive energy field was back up. "_Hora, hora!_ Show me what you're made of!"

_Like Alice, we're down the rabbit hole, my friend!_

The assassin unleashed all of his speed. He picked up the sword stuck on the ground and charged.

_I don't give a damn, not an iota!_

Ken unleashed a deadly, seemingly undodgeable barrage of lasers. In the terms of shooter gamers, it could be described as a multi-layer version of Love Sign: Non Directional Laser. Through this orgasmic light show, nothing without Magic Resistance could pass.

_Motherfucker, I'm the straightest shota!_

But that only applied to people. With a roar, Li Shuwen kicked into the air.

And he let go of the magical sword he had been holding, the Black Key. It hit its mark.

_I'm on a quest, on which I know, that I can never fail!_

"Kha!" Ken Marker went down on one leg. The Black Key had embedded itself in his leg. And of the rain that the Burial Agency had unleashed, Li Shuwen now had six more in his hands, having been caught in midair.

_I will prevail!_

"If that's how you want to play it!" He drew the Black Key from his leg, adding to his left hand two more that he had grabbed with his right. Li Shuwen threw his load.

_Even though there may be many foes stalking my trail!_

Ken Marker threw his own. He was not an expert thrower, but that was not the point.

_I'm in love! Weak at the knees, yeah, I'm growing pale!_

As the Black Keys met in midair, he unleashed a barrage of lasers. The glint of the Black Keys refracted the light of the lasers, turning the nine Black Keys into the ultimate reflectors.

_Only one thing left to do!_

It was not the most practical attack. The weak, low-power lasers that came out of that would only be enough to stun someone for a moment.

But if a Tamamo were to dye their tails different colors and wave them around, the lasers provided a show of that kind on a scale unparalleled. Kenichi canceled his Reality Marble and brought Luka and Vlad the Third with him.

And as he exited he was hit by a laser. Thanks to his injuries from Luka, Vlad the Third was dead on the spot.

VLAD THE THIRD IS DEAD. EPIC KILL STEAL!

_Touch Fluffy Tail!_

I was looking over the city sky, absently wondering on the roof of my church. I had not checked on the Burial Agency in some time.

_I wonder if the Burial Agency is under attack already? _

As if to answer my question, a volley of lasers pierced the night. In every color, red, green, purple, red, black, yellow, orange, framed by the moonlight, the lasers danced across the night sky. It reminded me of a song I knew, which I absently sung under my breath.

"_Lately, I know, I'm going so crazy."_

_Never thought goodness would be so hazy._

"Drop the smoke, Caster." Daichi ordered.

"On it."

_Once you wrap me up, yeah, you know I'm caught._

"Rider! Disengage. We're out of here!" Kenichi yelled.

"Roger!" She yelled. She unleashed a furious blow on the two that were following her and sped after her Master.

_But sorry, baby, I just can't get with this._

"Are you alright, Master?" She asked.

"I should be asking you that. Of the two of us, you're the one who can help my sister."

She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

_Gotta get out and get back to business,_

_Tofu or Tail? Oh, it's food for thought._

The smoke obscured the Burial Agency's vision. They had been forced to take cover after the light show. Now they resumed their throwing of Black Keys. Hashimoto, panicked, asked his Berserker what was going on.

"ArrAGH! KURAAAAGH! UWOOOOOH!" (Translation: _I don't give a damn, not an iota! Motherfucker, I'm the straightest shota!)_

"Why did I even bother?" Hashimoto asked.

"_I'm on a quest, on which I know, that I can never fail, I will prevail!" _I continued to sing even after the light show went out. That song was catchy. And background music for the whole city was certainly abnormal.

But I didn't mind.

_Even though there may be many foes stalking my trail!_

Kenichi and Luka ran, Rider and Ken behind them.

"Stall them! We need to get to Joan!" Kenichi yelled.

"I got this!" Ken smiled, and formed his hand into the shape of a pistol. "Eat this!"

_I'm in love!_

"Love Sign: Master Spark!"

_Weak at the knees, yeah, I'm going pale!_

Arturia quickly shielded Berserker. Li Shuwen, on the other hand, did not have the benefit of that protection.

LI SHUWEN HAS DIED. GLORY TO THE ALIEN EMPIRE!

"Crazy ganker." Kenichi said, smiling dourly.

However, from the smoke came the words nobody wanted to hear.

"GAE BOLG!"

The red lance of death exited the smoke cloud, turning into a rain of shrapnel. Ken, already injured from the Black Keys, should have been pierced by two fragments of the legendary spear, but they just bounced off of Luka's wind shield. Kenichi was similarly shielded by a now-bleeding Rider. Still, they continued to run.

"Rider… why?" He asked.

"There wasn't any time, don't take it personally."

_He's worried about me~!_ She blushed.

They were almost to the fallen maiden.

_Only one thing left to do!_

They arrived around her. Kenichi began to execute his teleportation magecraft. Above them, the great eagle had already flown away.

_Touch Fluffy Tail!_

_We'll see the light of day again, my dear._

The four of them reached Joan. The teleportation magecraft began to execute.

_Let's go on an adventure!_

Time slowed down for the La Pucelle. After being sneak-attacked, she could not just allow her opponents to escape.

If she had seen what had happened, she would acquiesce to being teleported away to be helped. However, through the smoke, she had seen nothing of what had happened, and had no inkling that two of the Burial Agency's Servants had been finished.

She sighed. She had failed again, like she had failed as the rearguard. As a result, she had been captured and tortured to give away her information. Even as a Servant, her body still flinched away from racks and hospital beds as she remembered the suffering that the English had inflicted.

_The heavens frown upon us this day!_

She knew what she had to do. It would cost her everything, but she would gain victory for her country and for her God, at any price.

_But I've still got my quota!_

La Pucelle's Noble Phantasm: Initiate. Miracle of Faith has been declared.

"Kenichi, why won't we teleport!?"

"I don't know!" He said. At the same time, the opposing Masters and Servants were also there. And they were looking up. His eyes followed theirs.

And he saw it.

The golden La Pucelle, in all her radiant beauty. Her figure was tied to a great stake, reaching into the sky.

La Pucelle: The Crimson Holy Woman

The fire around her began to burn.

_Here you stand, convicted of heresy against the Church. As per the regulations, you are to be burned at the stake._

_"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!"_

"Oh crap." Kenichi said. "We may not get out of this alive." He saw that even Daichi and his great eagle had been brought back.

_Motherfucker, I'm the straightest shota!_

Appendix A: Tiger Dojo: Shades of Black.

Error 404 – Webpage not found. May we suggest refreshing the page or making sure you typed the URL correctly.

"Good job, Taiga-sensei." Ilya said. "Now he'll know that he's so stupid that we didn't even plan out a Dojo for him."

"Ye~s." Taiga said. "Idiots that dumb do not deserve to even step in this dojo!" Behind them, Ciel merely stood there, bored.

"Why did that even happen, anyway?" Ilya asked. Taiga nodded while still holding the Error 404 poster to the camera.

"It was the dumbest death conceivable! He gave himself up and put him under the control of his ally, who is absentminded enough to bomb him!" She yelled. "And I was preparing a guest, too…." Taiga sighed. "Now I'll need to wait for the next one to bring in a guest…."

"Hey." Ciel stood up. "You two just said you weren't stupid enough to give an idiot a Taiga Dojo, right?" She asked. The two nodded.

"You just did. The mic was on." She said before leaving. "I have homework, so catch you two later."

Ilya and Taiga stared at each other in shock for a few seconds. Then Taiga hit her with a bokken she had drawn from nowhere.

"What!? Why would you do that!?" Ilya said, rubbing a comically-placed grapefruit-sized lump on her head with a cross of bandages over it.

"Tell me when the mic is on next time!" Taiga yelled.

The doors of the Taiga Dojo closed, and peace once again reigned.


	12. Knightly Master's Sacrifice

The music stopped. Kenichi was tied up in midair, as if he was tied to an invisible stake. Around him, allies and enemies alike were tied up in the same manner. Even the recently-killed Lancer and Assassin had arrived here.

Above them, on high, was Joan of Arc. Tied on a stake much higher than the rest, the fire around her feet began to burn.

"It's getting a little hot in here." Ken Marker said. "Kenichi, are we going to get out of this?" He seemed calm, but this banter was his method of escape. Daichi was on the other side, thinking completely silently.

Kenichi knew what had to be done. All of this took him back to the sunflower-covered fields of his youth, where he was born and raised, before this war, before the magecraft, and before the world had come down on him. A slow trumpet piece began to play, long and nostalgic.

Repeat this song for the time being: watch?v=y5o9A_k3Id0

The sun was beating down on them.

"Aah… it's so hot~." The voice of the short girl called out. She was strikingly beautiful despite her height, probably due to her long hair, her piercing purple eyes, or her well-defined figure through her dark tank-top and denim pants. Behind her, her brother walked slowly, carrying the fireworks and the launch equipment. It was a lot for one man to bear, but he had insisted.

This was two years before the Grail War. In those two years, Kenichi had never forgotten the memory of this day.

"Come on, if you stand around there, I'll leave you behind." The clear and resonant voice of his sister was calling him forward. Her figure, silhouetted in the sunlight, was stunning. Today was a holiday, so everyone in the village went out to the fields to watch the fireworks later tonight. They were here to set up. Their friends were among the spectators, so they had to make it good.

"Here's the spot, onee-chan!" Kenichi said. "You missed it again, and the same way as last year, too!"

"I was testing you." She said, although the reply came a bit too late to be convincing. "Come on, let's set up."

They began to work. The hot sun continued to beat down on them, but Kenichi was content. To be with his sister, even if it was just for the summer holiday, and even if they would be separated for the rest of the year…

Being with her, for even just a few weeks, was a joy in itself. As the day continud to slowly wear on, his sister Ririko called out to him.

"Hey Kenichi?" She asked tentatively.  
"Yah?" He said. He continued to face away from her, continuing to set up the rack. If they didn't get this finished soon, it would get too hot to hammer it down.

"Look at your older sister when she's talking to you! Or else I'll bombard you with Z-rays." She said it in a playful voice, but for Kenichi, who had lived with her for a long time, he already knew that this was the voice she used before she lived up to her threats. He stood up and turned around.

"What do you need?" He asked. "I want to get the hammering done soon."  
"Do you like me?" She asked.

This was weird. Seriously weird. Kenichi was shocked. She was looking down.

Shyly, not staring him in the face, Ririko was asking him a question.  
"What are you saying? Of course I do!" He said. "And don't talk about looking you in the eye when you can't do it yourself!"

"You're so mean!" She said, slapping him lightly on the arm. An awkward silence followed for a few minutes. Finally, Ririko spoke up.  
"Do you mean… more than a sister?" She asked.

Kenichi could no longer control himself. That was the question he had asked himself sometimes at night, when she was asleep and all of their friends had gone home. After she left, he had felt a hole. Talking to his friends, going to school, going out, nothing had been the same after she left.

So he concluded that he needed her. Working off of that conclusion, would it be so bad? He asked himself that question and found his answer.  
He leaned over and pressed his lips to his sister's. It was quick, but unforgettable.  
"Does that answer your question?" He asked, smiling. She was shocked, but quickly regained her composure. However, she did not regain her white skin, as it was tinged with blushing blood.  
"Then when we grow up, no matter what happens, be my hero." She said. "I've taught you to be strong, after all."

"That goes without saying." He said.

"Promise me." She said. She held out her right pinky finger.  
"It's a promise." Kenichi said.  
The two of them swore never to abandon each other. And as the memory began to fade out, a rapid series of chords came in.

OKAY GUYS NOW PLAY THIS AT MAX VOLUME: watch?v=WhcXuOK4jIo  
*********

We return to the cage of the La Pucelle. Here, Kenichi was about to execute his final move.  
" I'm sorry I can't be there for you." He said. "But onee-chan." He was sure, that somewhere, she could hear every word he said. Mumbling to himself, he steeled his body for the exertion it was about to make.

"I am doing this to save you. So don't be afraid."  
Kenichi's spear falls to the ground. The noise of metal on rock is unmistakable.

"Are you giving up?" Joan of Arc asked. "It is understandable."

"I'm just beginning. RIDER!"

"Yes, Master!" She yelled.

"My first immutable command: Save my sister!" He yelled. The mark on his left hand shone a brilliant red.

"I shall comply as soon as these bonds are set free!" She yelled.

"My second immutable command!" He was screaming at the top of his voice, all of his body straining to move. "Make her your Master! And the last!" He yelled, before Rider could say a thing. The red glow bathed his left hand, raised high above his head.

"Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't save her!" With that, he began to chant the lines of his magecraft. This would be his final teleportation. With this, victory would be achieved.  
"Master… Why!?" She seemed to understand the true nature of his actions. She would no longer just sit idly by. She would rescue him, even if it was from his own folly.

But when she saw him smile, when she saw him and knew that he was truly happy doing what he wished to do, she could do nothing.  
"Take my spear and bring it to her. And Rider?" He said, expecting a reply. "It was an honor serving with you, General." And he disappeared. In a moment, there he was, right in the face of the La Pucelle, her head in his right hand.

"What!?" She asked. She had no idea what was about to happen.

But Rider knew it all.

"Don't do it! It will kill you! Trying to save us is enough!"

But Kenichi only let these words go:

"Ken, end them for me. Rider, Ririko, live on for me."

"Of course." Ken said. "Rest in peace, my friend."

"You… to break free of the Reality Marble… you're a demon!" Joan of Arc yelled.

"I know. It's for my sister." He said.

The saint and the demon left. Nobody was tied down anymore. Life started again.

"I loved you, you idiot!" Rider yelled.

She would have loved to stand there without moving.

But the Command Spells ordered her to run. With those driving her, she ran to his sister, the one he held most dear.

And slowly night turned to day.

They had arrived. For teleportation it had been slow, taking more than an instant to materialize them. They were in the city, far, far away from the hills where the La Pucelle had unleashed her final move.

Kenichi lay on the ground, grievously wounded. His body was burning itself out. The Magic Circuits could never be used again. He cursed his own uselessness.

"After all those promises I made, to end up like this?" He asked himself. "Oh, I didn't see you there." He amended as Joan of Arc stood above him. Her sword was at the ready, pointed at his neck.  
"Why did you save them?" She asked. Curt and precise, quickly cutting off any opposition. These are the words of a saint.

"They are precious to me." Kenichi simply declared. They were both silent.

"Then why teleport me and kill yourself instead of just teleporting them out?" She asked.

"To save my sister, my lover, my dream and my hope." Kenichi told her, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I pity you, you who has the worst of luck, being born in a household destined to die, becoming a slave, falling in love with your own sister and now dying for the sake of what you hold dear." She said. "That you would have such a horrible life… may God have mercy on your soul." She readied the sword again. But Kenichi laughed. She was startled. Nobody had ever laughed in her face before.

"I pity YOU for thinking that my life is worse than yours. You may fight for a God, but look! He does nothing as his bravest and most valiant sacrifice themselves! He leaves saints and heroes such as yourself as his pawns!" Kenichi smiled and took another breath. "I at least have something to fight for. Friends, family, life, and love! These are the things that make me strong!"

_You've always loved your dramas, Kenichi. _His sister had once told him. _Grow up to be a cool hero like them, okay?_

_I've done it, sis._

"Very well then, I'll put an end to your misery." Joan of Arc said.

"The reason they executed you was because you were too different. Find something to fight for. It isn't too late." Kenichi said.

But the soulless eyes of those who follow only the law stared back. He could see his own face reflected in those pure green eyes.

The pure green eyes of a monster.  
"Goodbye." She said. Her sword plunged itself into his heart. The rapid singing of the strings and the electric piano's chords cut out.

Joan of Arc stood alone.

"Was he right? Was I too aloof, never knowing the cares of the ordinary?"

_No, Joan. He was another one of the world's selfish men. Like the English, he wishes only to use you and the rest of the world to his own ends. Killing him was right._

"But according to the Commandments, killing should never be done!" She yelled. For once, she disagreed with the voices in her head.

_Joan. We have led you on the right path. You became a general and a hero to your people. Do you not trust the words of your God?_

She was not entirely sure. But she had made her choice when she took up the blade.

"I hear and obey."

_Now go! All the Servants in this city are heathen! Destroy them!_

She ran towards the train. God's light guided her yet.

Joan of Arc: Holy Berserker.

Strength: B (A+)

Endurance: B+ (A+)

Agility: A+ (A++)

Magic: C (A)

Luck: B (A+)

Skills:

Magic Resistance: EX. Look, just don't try magic, alright?

Revelation + Instinct: A+.

Saint: A+

Divinity: N/A

Protection of the Faith (False): A. The voices in her head, which she believes to be the voice of God, push her to destroy all.

Battle Continuation: A+

Innocent Monster: A+. Believing fully that her actions are the dictate of her faith, she kills with no remorse.

Noble Phantasms:

Miracle of the Faith: A+: Now a passive ability, she becomes the embodiment of miraculous. It is more likely that she will be killed by a weapon with a 99% chance of hitting than a 100% chance, because the "Work of a Miracle" will immediately stop a "perfect hit chance" attack. However, this power must be used specifically, specifying the miracle that is to be done.

In the depths of my church, I smiled sadly. In one day, Joan of Arc had become a Berserker, an honorable warrior had been lost, and all of the currently living Servants were set for war.

"Is this melee really what I signed up for?" I asked myself as the war continued. Kenichi Tohno was dead, along with many others. Izaya was abandoned, and murder, death, and arson were rampant among those still here.

And on this tragic note, dawn comes on the fourth day.

Over what's left of the city, Bishop Magnus has arrived.

_It just keeps getting worse._ I thought. _How am I going to keep that old bastard safe in the middle of this hellhole of a War?_

Appendix A: Taiga Dojo 5.

"That."

"Was."

"Godly."

"There is no advice left to be given! Here is a student of the highest quality, capable of even giving his life for the story of Fate!" Taiga yelled. "It brings me joy to see a student of such strength and valor on the battlefield!"

"Un. Un." Ilya nodded. "It's good to see all the lessons we've taught being practiced, no?"

"I'm sure he picked up a few things from me as well." Ciel said.

"Then, let's get some tea! And drink to such a student!" Taiga announced.

"Osu!" The two said.

And the tatami doors closed once again.


	13. The Child and the Space Detective

"Now, let us return the show to today's stars. Hit the lights!" I yelled to my invisible stage director. The scene changed to what was once the inside of the Reality Marble.

"Let's see if we can make sense of these stupid strings of fate." I said, as the events began to play.

"Saber, begin charging your attack." Ken Marker told his Servant, using the psychic link that Masters and Servants shared. "We will not allow them to escape, and there will be some time before the Reality Marble fully dissipates."

"We'll use that time to attack." Saber responded. Ken Marker nodded. As soon as the order was given, four wisps of light began to dance around Saber, one green, one brown, one blue, and one red. Each of them symbolized one of the ancient elements, and each of them was supporting Saber in their own way.

_This is the speed of the wind; my devastating gale!_ The green wisp entered Saber's grotesque gray sword, the depiction of the death of thousands of angels. The wind began to blow, at first slowly and then reaching tornado standards.

"Oh~noooooo-" Hashimoto said.

"Calm." The leader of the Burial Agency called. "Do not allow yourself to be swayed."

_And here is my strength, that of the wild lands. _The brown wisp, more a blob of mud than an actual gaseous wisp, followed the green one into the sword. The earth itself began to rumble, seemingly threatening to cave in.

"He's going to kill us!" Hashimoto screamed. He strained against Joan's slowly weakening binding. "We're all going to die!"

"Hold your ground, soldier!" The leader said. The others behind him nodded.

_I would do it myself if Cu Chulainn was not yours._

_Do not ever forget the restraint of the serene mind. _The blue wisp, again like the others, sank into the grotesque sword. The eye right above the sword's hilt, on its side, opened to its full. Only one more was needed.

_But never forget to burn your opponents in purgatory's flame!_ The final red wisp, the end of the attack, assimilated into the gray angel graveyard that Saber held. The eye, which had been fully dilated, began to spin at a dizzying speed. As if this was the signal, the dome of the French morning sky that was formed above them crashed. Four hands were raised, but they were overshadowed by Saber's final attack. In the background, Rider had taken to the sky, in obedience to her Command Spells.

"This is the strength of the four elements!" Ken Marker yelled. "This is the culmination of our efforts to save the world, Saber!" Saber seemed to be lifted by some otherworldly force as he lifted the sword easily, with enough force to create a sonic boom.

"This is the strength of my wish! A world where humans and monsters can live in peace!"

And as he unleashed his greatest attack, he thanked all of the people who had supported him in getting this far.

_Sylph, Gnome, Undine, Salamander, Alice, and of course…_

_You, the player. Ken Marker, thank you for bringing me to fight._

The white lettering that was death appeared on the top side of the screen. It was a merciless portent of destruction, headed straight towards the men of the Burial Agency.

"Quadruple Giga!" With that cry, and the appearance of a white "Quadruple Giga" on the top of everyone's view, the gray sword that cut monsters cut its path through the air and met a set of dragon's scales. In a second, the dragon was obliterated. The leader of the Burial Agency merely smirked as the Command Spells disappeared from his hand. As he had predicted, the skin of his Servant would not stop his opponent's attack for a second. Arturia's defensive stats were not affected by her dragon transformation, rendering her worthless as a shield.

It would have been a stupid play had that been the objective. But the objective was something different. There was a reason that the others had raised their hands as well.

"Kazikli Bey!" The spear was thrown to strike the sinful opponent!

Let us analyze the situation. Quadruple Giga is still going strong, however, the power of the Four Element Spirits has weakened somewhat due to Magic Resistance A. However, Kazikli Bey is an attack that relies on the sinfulness of the target, ignoring defenses and striking sinners.

Saber's story is that of a man who turned his back on his god in order to pursue his ideal.

Would he not then be a sinner, no matter how good his intentions?

The forest of lances appeared again. Steel, iron, gray, blue, red, serrated, pointed, smooth, poleaxes, lances of every description formed a garden of the weapons of sinners around Saber.

Kazikli Bey, in terms of raw power, would lose. However, going up against the ultimate heresy, turning your back on your god, was the ultimate sin, and because of this, Kazikli Bey could no longer be stopped. The battle of powers beyond compare had been called. As the final spear zoomed down from the sky, the monster called Saber swung his sword.

Pure white. And sound so loud that it deafened the ears to hear it, condemning whoever witnessed the battle between monsters into silence for all of his if anyone was still alive, and had not suffered the pain of destroyed ears, then they would have heard a baritone voice call out the names of the dead.

"Saber, Berserker, Rider, Assassin, Lancer. All of these Servants have fallen."

I gazed thoughtfully over the battlefield. There was nothing left. All but Ken Marker and his fallen Servant's sword were on the little bits of what was once a residential district. The Master slowly walked towards the sword and picked it up.

_So Ken's still alive._ I thought. _Even the lance that punishes sinners cannot defeat the unity of heaven and earth. It's a shame that such an honorable Servant had to die, however. One less good man. _I stared over the aftermath for a few more moments.

Then I turned my attention to other matters.

She chased after the train. Madly she ran, covering distances she would never have thought possible in her lifetime. She was not out of breath at all, and barely even felt that her legs were pushing themselves to the limit to carry her.

In other words, she was perfect, as her Heavenly Father was perfect.

_Joan, you are perfect._ The voice in her head said, as if to confirm her thoughts. _Head for the shrine island, and leave nothing alive._

"Understood." She told the voices. Her blade, far from being stayed, was drawn as she ran.

She was a sister no longer. Her faith no longer held her to a position, leaving her free to do as she wished.

Now she was more like a valkyrie.

I closed the line. I sensed that another power was going to take the stage for the meantime.

Appendix A: Taiga Dojo 6.

A note is on the tatami door, stuck with a piece of torn tape.

_This Taiga Dojo has been handed over to another Bad End corner, because it is not under our jurisdiction. NPCs are not important enough to be mentioned. Please wait eagerly for the next one!_

Appendix B: Ken Marker's Final Destination.

He took up the sword, and for the first time in weeks, he felt his full power surge through him. He felt his artificial body, built both long before and long after today, fill up with power, threatening to break him. Lines of pure green light ran up and down his body, over his arms and legs, forming nodes on his palms, elbows, knees, ankles, toes, fingers, neck, shoulders, and heart. His limbs, long starved of their proper dose of mana, were quickly refilled by his internal artificial power plant. The lines continued to glow their green color, which reminded one of high technology.

_I only have a few minutes to get back._ He thought. _This sword will disappear soon, and I can't let my Servant's sacrifice be in vain._ He looked down on the destroyed pavement. _I know his pain._

His legs, fully recovered from the lack of prana that maintaining a Servant cost, pushed off of the ground, and let him go faster than the wind. With a running start like that, he did not even need to bend his legs to make his jump across the broken bridge. As the wind ran through his hair and crashed against his body, he ran towards his destination.

The Holy Grail.

I stood to welcome the Master. He stopped and knocked at the door of the church. I threw the doors open.

"Do what you must." I said. "I will not stop you."

Ken Marker nodded and rushed down to the room where the Holy Grail lay. I had already opened the doors to the basement, so the only thing for him to do was to run into the open doors.

He reached the Holy Grail. The artificial man had no hesitation and no fear, swinging at it. He stood there for an instant before he was swallowed by the darkness at the heart of the Origin.

He regained his sight and hearing on the battlefield of his target planet Earth, in an interplanetary battle to decide the fate of the world. He looked down at the sword in his right hand, which was slowly disappearing, as the sounds of battle began to assault his hearing.

_For my goal of unity… for my personal salvation, and for my friend Saber…_

_I will not fail._

The space detective plunged back into his battle.


	14. Road Warriors of the Izaya Wasteland

I focused my sights over the bridge. It led over the water to the wasteland that was once Izaya. Few buildings were left standing, but the burned-out ground was strewn with rubble and the remains of life. Luckily there were no human remains, the evacuation had gone well enough for that. However, there was a reason that I watched this spot, and the glowing dark clone of the space detective and the holy berserker soon ran by. With my mind's eye, I followed them.

The dark Ken Marker ran on. If only his speed was seen, a normal person would not believe he was running, because his speed reached that of a car on an open road. Despite that objection, he still had humanoid form, was still running on two legs, and still had two arms. The lights on his body glowed as they always did as he ran.

Behind him was a young French girl, running at an equally unbelievable speed. He checked to see if she was still there and found her gaining on him.

He continued to run across the open road, headed for where he was.

The four-door sedan continued to drive along the broken road. It was crowded, having to fit four people, namely Lancer, Tensai, Bob, and Archer. They weren't tense, expecting a comfortable ride to be ahead of them.

_I kept everything inside, but even though I tried._

"I want to get into a fight." Bob said.

"So do I." Archer said this as well.

_It all fell apart._

"But staying in this car with this song is good too." Bob said. "I quite like this station."

"I would prefer some traditional music myself." Archer said.

"You've got your wish." Lancer said. "Incoming." He looked forward at a man running at the speed of a car, who had appeared suddenly on the flat ground that was once Izaya. Tensai was already incanting magic, preparing to jump.

_What it meant to me will eventually be_

But the man was too quick, slamming himself into the windshield of the car. A large, red, pixelated yet very real-looking -200 appeared where his chest had hit the car.

"USE THE WIPERS, LANCER!" Tensai gave this command. Lancer pulled the windshield wipers' dial up to the maximum. They moved like they had a purpose, smashing into the side of DarKen's chest and face. Yet still he held on. "This isn't working, Master!" Lancer returned the statement.

_A memory of a time when I tried so hard, and lost it all!_

"Persistent little bug!" Tensai yelled, incanting a different wind magic. The roof of the car was sliced off easily by the blade of the wind, throwing DarKen off. And then they saw why he had run at them.

Behind him was the monster, the Holy Berserker, Joan of Arc. Bob and Archer immediately prepared their weapons, having been stunned by DarKen's sudden entry.

"TURN AROUND!" They yelled in unison. Military Tactics was obviously not a useless skill at this point. Lancer obliged, pulling the wheel around. The wheels screeched under the pressure and friction as the saint ran closer. The distance was fifteen meters.

Barely anything to a Servant of this level. But just before Joan could grab onto the car Lancer floored the gas. Joan threw her sword.

Normally it would not do much, but with her Strength ranking of A+, the sword was like a missile that blew out the car's engine, rendering it unfit to be a mount. Seeing this, Lancer threw a spear straight down, using the explosion to fuel a quick flight away from the saint.

For now they were free.

_In the end, it doesn't even matter!_

After being blown off the car, DarKen settled down to watch the battle. He was mildly surprised to see an untouched bag of popcorn on the ground. It was humorously nailed to a stake, as if someone had tried to burn it. He sat down next to it, facing the site of battle. He took a bite of the popcorn. _Butter. Horribly bland._

"Yuck." He spat out the popcorn. "Cold, and I hate butter."

Across dimensions, a space detective in the midst of an epic battle for the fate of his home world sneezed.

"WHO'S DISSING BUTTERED POPCORN!?" He yelled, dispatching another one of his many opponents with a punch. "I'M MAD NOW!" The space detective unleashed his final attack, defeating both the leader of the alien invasion and the leader of the human militarist faction, bringing peace to the world.

But that's another story.

DarKen looked back to the battle site, which was now covered in a dust cloud. He strained his eyes.

_I can't see anything… wait, is that the car flying right for me!?_

He instinctively threw himself to the side, hoping not to be attacked or run over. However if they already knew his location that would leave him completely exposed.

The car soared clear over his head. It made an ungodly noise, raining crushed and useless parts from the front. Behind the car, the saint had already retrieved her sword. The voices in her head urged her onwards, forcing her to charge towards the enemy. However, DarKen was not around to perceive any of this. The wake of the car had also contained a spear, aimed perfectly at DarKen's center mass by the Servant Archer. On its way, it had also burst the bag of popcorn. As the buttery snack food spilled out over DarKen's body, the baritone voice called out again.

_DarKen is dead! POPCORN HAS BEEN SLAIN! DOUBLE KILL!_

The car landed, skidding madly and throwing up sparks. It was now just a useless piece of metal. Archer put away his bow as Tensai and Lancer prepared for battle. Bob began to incant his own magecraft. They were as ready as they could possibly be.

"Good shot, Archer." Bob said upon hearing the death-confirming baritone voice. "But why the popcorn?"

"It was a necessary sacrifice." Archer said, despite the fact that he knew nothing about any popcorn being there. "Now we face a far stronger opponent." He said, drawing his sword. The horse that was his companion also materialized, and he was ready for battle. Looking over at Tensai and Lancer, they had prepared as well, Lancer holding his spear over his head, poised to make a throw.

The saint burst forward like a shot. The spear was easily deflected, but already Lancer had another one in his hands.

"I'll show you what it's like to go against a god." Lancer's second spear was already ready.

"A god?" The La Pucelle asked. "There is only one God." She charged for him, but suddenly sensed another warrior attacking her. Turning, she saw the mounted enemy. An Oriental general, well-versed in the arts of war, this opponent was not one to be trifled with. Her instincts and the voices told her that much. She pulled back from Lancer, instead deciding to pull the knight off of his horse. Her sword was ready, and so was his. Their eyes met, and the mounted one immediately yelled out his war cry.

"MIKUNIGORO, CHARGE!"

"Silence, heathen!" She yelled, charging into the fray herself.

The evacuation had gone smoothly. Not all of the city was leveled, however, with buildings that had not been targeted by the flaming spear's wrath still standing.

In one of those buildings, Ririko and Rider began to build their strength. The evacuation was sudden, resulting in families leaving behind their goods. This was an ideal situation for Ririko, who had been starved for a few days. Currently, Ririko was in the bedroom of a comfortable, fifth-floor apartment.

"Master, the preparations are complete." Rider bowed before her Master. Anyone would see it as a polite exchange, however, for Rider, it was a subtle sign of rebellion. Her deference was an act, and any competent diplomat would be offended at such over-politeness.

Ririko on the other hand could not care less about those things. She took up her brother's spear and her own.

"Leave me alone, Rider." She said coldly, striding out of the bedroom into the living room. Rider nodded and she left in silence.

"My luck is the worst." Rider muttered to herself.

Ririko held both spears in her hands. Her family's final weapons, passed down, were actually meant to be united as one. One, the Merciless Blitz, a masterfully created weapon that harnessed the power of lightning. Her brother's hallmark, it multiplies the force of the "traveled distance", which when combined with her brother's teleportation magecraft, could defeat any opponent and crush any obstacle. The second spear, the Blazing Heart, was her own weapon, and with its ability to duplicate itself into shadows, would be able to strike at the heart of any opponent.

But in truth, these weapons were never meant to be used separately. Together, they were made to form the Tohno family's final treasure, the Dragon's Wind. However, this required a very specific ritual, which only the two heads of the family would know.

Luckily, she was one of them. As her magic power began to flow into the circle she asked Rider to draw, her eyes glowed with a fearsome blue light. The room was engulfed in the shining, which reflected off of the spears to form a blinding mass that could be seen from the next apartment. And then she spoke in a full voice, different from the cold and distant voice she took with Rider, she spoke in the full and earnest voice of a maiden in love with her brother. Combined with the blue light, it formed an otherworldly combination.

_Love's warm embrace is human's true ending._

The spears rose up into the air, and began their slow dance around the borders of the magic circle. They cut the air around Ririko, dangerously close to slicing her arms open, but she continued undeterred.

_Pain and sorrow, endless searching through eternity._

_By chance, the lovers met, and loved with the passion of a fire._

At those words, the spears' rotation stopped, falling to the floor. Ririko paused, just as she was taught, took a breath, and continued. Her voice became more emotional from here, being rather more like a spurned lover than a historian.

_But fate did not allow even this tiny grace._

_Their short yet loving embrace warmed the very world._

_Yet the curse remained; the two doomed to never have their love fulfilled._

But here she stopped. The air was still. But her eyes still glowed, and with hands that moved as if they were not truly under her control, she picked up the two spears and placed them over her chest, the Merciless Blitz over the Blazing Heart. As she was, she continued the chant. But now she was screaming at the top of her voice.

_In this age they are born again; but now their love they will defend!_

Maybe it was desperation. Maybe it was the last bit of hope for the girl who had lost everything.

_So I ask thee for strength, spear holding my lover's soul!_

Maybe it was her way of accepting that her brother was truly gone.

_Open my path with your eternal partner!_

Or maybe it was her way of keeping her with him forever. Just like how the Blazing Heart and the Merciless Blitz convalesced into the Dragon's Wind. She took the spear close to her chest and stood there for a few minutes, doing nothing but standing in silence and holding the spear to her chest.

Even as the heat of noon crept into the room, she did nothing else.

Appendix A: Taiga Dojo 8 (DarKen)

"So the Master finally decides to join the Servant in the graveyard! Goodbye!" Pointing at her precious Taiga-sensei, she flicked her finger, pushing the card with the orange-haired boy's image over into the Graveyard. Pointing at the gallant knight's card, Ilya declared "You're next!" In the corner, the nun in black merely filed her nails, bored out of her wits by the antics of her colleagues.

"No!" Taiga yelled. "My beautiful dance of Master and Servant can never be fulfilled!" She sank down onto the ground and sobbed, appearing to have all the energy taken out of her. "My glorious plan has failed, my hand is empty! What have I left but to surrender!?"

"Ehehe, now you have to listen to me!" Ilya yelled. "For my first decree, you will give me unlimited time with Shirou! Every single day!"

"Kh!" Taiga yelled, clutching at her chest as if she had been pierced by Gae Bolg. "I cannot! But on my honor I must." She said, resigned. In the corner, the black-clad nun saw that the camera was running. Immediately, her well-trained Burial Agency mind, honed on the fields of war, went into full operation.

_Oh no! If I get a rep for being unprofessional because of those two, I might never be able to work again! _She walked over to the two, one with her chest out in victory, the other lying on the floor, sobbing at her own defeat. To any observer she would look casual and composed, but she exuded a dark aura more befitting a vampire than a nun. She reached the two lying on the floor and took a breath.

"QUIT PLAYING A CHILDREN'S CARD GAME! THE CAMERA IS RUNNING!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. The white-haired homunculus merely stared at her. However, the instructor, who had been lying on the ground moments before, was now up and livid, entire body shaking due to anger. The bokken was already in her hands.

"Don't. You." With each of these words she took a step towards Ciel, and raising the bokken, she said "DARE MESS WITH A CHILDREN'S CARD GAME!" She began to wildly flail her bokken, each swing with enough power to knock a True Ancestor back to the moon.

"Kh." Ciel continued to dodge the furious assault, which created wind slashes so powerful that the tatami doors were sliced in half, falling to the ground. In response, Ciel continued to dodge, throwing some of her hundreds of Black Keys, which were effortlessly deflected by the wild swinging of the kendo master.

Ilya, not affected at all by the duel, popped up in front of the camera.

"There's not much advice to give except that you shouldn't let your guard down! And vote for me in the popularity polls!" she yelled.

The poor innocent girl had no way of knowing that Taiga's bokken was on a collision course with her head.

"GYAAAAAAAA!" She yelled, forming the perfect background noise for the duel of the women of the hint corner. The homunculus flew off into the sky, and in the words of many before me: "was blasted off."

The doors of the dojo closed, but they were not the normal tatami doors.

They were the steel blast doors used in case of a Dead Apostle attack. Muffled yelling could still be heard.

"THIS IS MY TRUMP CARD!" ( watch?v=fxqMlokC05A at 2:27)

"Not bad, but now it's my turn! Ultimate Defense: Sheet-Metal Poster!"

Both sides had unleashed their final moves.


	15. Onward to the Throne of Heroes

The general's spear bounced off the holy maiden's blade, and they looked at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Archer. We will make our last stand here. You and Lancer will finish the rest." Bob told his Servant. "Now, I order you. Kill the Dark Ken we saw. There is no way you will not kill him. Crush him with the army." With that, the three Command Spells, the artful red marks on the back of the hand that bound Servant to Master, all disappeared.

"What about you!?" He yelled, but Bob waved him off.

"We shall make our last stand here." He said. Beside him, Tensai had already given his orders to his Servant. They could resist the Command Spells no longer, and as the general rode off to finish the roadkill, the Lancer flew off to kill the last of the opponents.

"Valiant." The Holy Berserker stood there and made that one comment. "But very, very stupid." She raised her sword. "Because I cannot let you leave here alive."

"We weren't planning to." Tensai Takizawa declared this, pulling out his Dagger of Avarice. "We're just going to make sure you don't kill us quick~!" With that, he unleashed bolts of lightning. The high-speed electrons made their way towards the knight, who merely waved them off. The wind blast that came after, however, was more effective, forcing her to lower her head to the gale.

But that was all the time they needed. Bob had already slashed the Blade of Avarice right through her neck. The mana-burning blade effortlessly sliced through Joan, causing much physical pain to the knight. She gritted her teeth and exhaled suddenly, surprised at the sudden pain. However, she had survived.

And that was time enough. She punched Bob, with a fist that should not be lethal, however, with her enhanced strength it pushed clean through his ribs, coming out as a full gauntlet on the other side. The crimson-coated metal glowed a dull red, covered in blood and guts. Without hesitation, she threw her arm to the side, launching the body over ten meters to the side. Tensai had stopped his attacks, instead channeling prana to his Servant. Joan stepped forward. Reacting a little late, the voice called out.

_Bob is dead._

"What are you fighting for?" She asked. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered a time when she herself was the rearguard, when she had put her life on the line in order to save others.

Her reward for that was being captured and held, tortured and burned at the stake. And her government had lifted not a finger to help her.

"There's no reason, really." Tensai said. "I don't really have anything I want to protect, and it wouldn't bother me if I died now. It's all just a game to me." He said, pushing out the last of his prana to his Servant.

"Then why do you try so hard?" She asked, mystified. If someone with such a shallow motivation could do so well, then what of her, who had the highest motivation in the world?

"Well, the game's not fun if you don't try to win~!" He called. Pushing out the last of his prana, he threw a punch supported by the rushing wind. Joan was surprised, not even seeing it coming.

However, it was all worthless. Out of prana, Tensai Takizawa was dead before he even threw the punch. Joan stabbed his body just to be sure.

_Tensai Takizawa is dead!_ With glee, the voice rang out, confirming that the bishonen Master had indeed lost the game.

But the game had not been won yet.

"Whew, that hurt." The space detective's copy that had been tainted by the darkness, DarKen, had risen again, demonic sword and all. "How dare they even hurt me."

"Oh, no kidding." He said again. "Dying sucks. Now I'm mad!"

"Let's go get back at 'em! They took mah laydies!" He yelled.

"Yeah, leggo! They're still alive, and I can't let them have anything I don't!"

"But I'm so laa~zy~!"

"I want Masters and Servants to coexist peacefully!"

"What the hell are you guys even saying!? Let's go get some eats!"

And now there were seven of him. Each one representing one of the deadly sins, the seven DarKens had arrived on the stage. And as if on cue, their opposite number appeared.

Archer on his horse, crying the warm tears of a soldier who had been forced to abandon his beloved commander, rode forward to challenge them. He was alone.

"Perfect! I'll take the legs and show him just how weak a horse is!" A DarKen who was eternally angry, his eyes glowing red with eternal hatred, was already rushing towards the horse.

"I won't let you upstage me!" A second DarKen, this one with the prideful and gallant air of a superior officer, ran towards the general.

"Then we'll get ready to rape!" One of them, who held his demonic sword near his crotch area all the time, stood in ambush.

"Will you please stop overcompensating?" Another one, decked out in necklaces of golden swag, took his position opposite the crotch-sword. "Everyone knows that girls love money, so just get money like me!"

"Arghh… I'm so laa~zy… Let's stay here and fire a beam so that we don't have to move." With that, he took a standing stance opposite the charging general.

"I'm so jealous of your naturally gifted mind." One of them said. He was nondescript, the same as the rest except for the eyes. His eyes were always hunting, searching for something to take. "I'll join you."

"I'm so hungry~! I think I'll just stand here." With that, one of the DarKens, pudgier than the rest took up his position.

So they stood arrayed against the charging general. He unleashed his war cry, which was one word that had gone down through the ages as the symbol of war.

"CHARGE!" With that, his battle spirit was ignited. The first two Kens also took this as their signal, rushing the legs of the battle steed Mikunigoro.

But they were about to be met by a surprise.

"My personal guard, come to me!" With that, four horses appeared around Archer, each one of them ridden by a man arrayed as he was, in the light yet durable plate of the samurai. But the DarKens were faster, already under Mikunigoro as they men arrived. However each one of them was almost as skilled as Archer himself, and although they were injured, few of them had died.

In a contest between the powerful, with these odds, there is only one outcome. Five spears rushed towards two targets, each one hitting their mark. They did not stop, tearing up the ground in front of them with their hooves as they charged.

Behind the general's entourage were the pierced and dying bodies of their enemies.

"It's all your fault! You ruined the attack!" The prideful one who had been brought down exclaimed.

"Shut up before I kill you again!" The other one yelled right back. "I'm pissed enough as it is!"

Those were their last lines before they faded away.

"It's time to go on a raping spree!" The DarKen holding his sword to his hip charged forward.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I get the spoils!" They rushed forward.

"Alright, let's go! Let's deprive them of life, shall we?"

"So I can eat!"

"So I can sleep!"

"Let's do this! Seven Deadly Sins Beam!" Assuming an epic stance, quite closely resembling a Super Sentai show, complete with combining their demonic swords to fire a huge beam of darkness, they fired at the general and his guard, who were engrossed in fighting the DarKens out in front. The explosion consumed all of them in a cyclone of dark energy. The only thing missing was the victory shot of them facing backward as the explosions consumed their target.

Silence followed. The dust that had been thrown up by the explosion slowly began to settle.

And a lance, sleek and silver, glided at a lethal speed out of the cloud and hammered itself into the center DarKen, the lazy one. Two arrows followed it extremely quickly, killing off the other two before they could even draw their swords from the combined contraption they had turned them into.

_DarKen is dead. Again. _The voice announced it with none of the usual flair.

"Thank you for your sacrifice, my guard." He said. "I shall never forget your bravery." He plunged his spear into the ground and got off his horse. He began to pray for his fallen comrades. His horse, as if it knew that this was important, made not a sound. As he kneeled on the ground, his figure slowly faded away.

With that, the general who had never been wounded but was broken nonetheless disappeared into the afternoon glow.

_Archer is dead. _The voice seemed a little more solemn for this announcement, none of its cavalier tones from the other announcements remaining.

The sky was a clear blue. The Lancer who had left his Master behind charged through the air to his final destination. Behind his impassive face it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Was he sad that he left his Master? Was he dissatisfied with his ending? Was he wishing that he could have continued? Or did he simply not care? None of it mattered.

The enemy was right in front of him. Flying through the air were the figures of the girl and the Rider, although he did not know that.

A flaming spear was immediately thrown.

"Master, hold on!" Rider yelled that as she banked hard to the left to avoid the flaming spear. Using that as a distraction, the Lancer charged his opponent, appearing before them without a moment's hesitation. His spear was already up. But Rider was faster.

The world was remade into her land; the land on which she had fought, bled, and trained. The Shrine of Bishamonten stood a thousand meters into the sky, brought forth by the dream of the warrior. Both combatants stood opposite each other, appraising the other's strength.

However Ririko could see that right now, her Rider would not be able to take on the Lancer she faced. With that she raised her left hand, Command Seals refreshed from a new contract, and took a deep breath.

"You will fight to protect me!" She called out, one of the red marks on her hand disappearing. "You will fight my brother's legacy!" She called out again, removing another one of the red marks on her hand. "And lastly, you will kill that Lancer and we will win!"

With that, the last of her Command Seals was removed. As if it was the signal to begin battle, the Rider stepped forward without hesitation.

At least, that is what we can assume she did as she disappeared with inhuman speed, so fast that the human eye could no longer see it. Drawing her second sword, she threw everything she had into the attack, raining blows down on Lancer. She appeared to the left to deal two extremely quick blows, then one from above as she went over to the back, where she would strike with five more blows of epic speed. Truly, she lived up to her name "The Avatar of Bishamonten".

Lancer fought back flawlessly, showing that the power of a god is not something to e trifled with. Each one of the Rider's fatal blows was repulsed by one of the two spears he wielded. His face was grim and dark as always, although it also showed signs of strain from the constant attack. As proof, his long white hair, bleached by the blazing light of the sun, was cut several times. However he could not last forever under the withering assault. With that, he ignored the fatal attacks and concentrated all of his energy into his spear.

Ten fatal blows slashed through him almost simultaneously. The god had been defeated by the god's avatar.

But his goal was not to kill the Servant, but the Master. As he died, he left his final package behind him.

An incendiary explosive that would burn down a city, on the level of a fuel-air bomb. As he died, for the first time he smiled, snapping his fingers to trigger the bomb. And as he died in the fires of his own creation, he had one last thought.

_So I'm just like my Master in the end; I'm only happy when I'm on the edge of death._

Even with her extreme power, the Rider was unable to rescue her Master. Shields of any kind were rendered worthless as the blazing inferno after the explosion burned through all that existed within the Reality Marble, finally shattering it into a thousand pieces. Having nothing to rule over anymore, Joan of Arc disappeared into the darkening afternoon.

Three burning corpses fell to the ground like shooting stars, signaling the end of the battle. The Holy Grail War was over. There was no death announcement, there was no music, not even a sound over the abandoned and broken city.

It was deserted except for one church, which housed three.

I stood from the chair.

"The War is over." I told my superior. "Everyone is dead." He nodded.

"What do we do with the Grail, then?" He asked. I turned away from him to enter the basement.

"I don't kno-" but at that moment I felt myself completely unable to move. The reason was obvious. "So you're just like the others." I said.

"Yes, I am." He said, walking in front of me and twirling the Black Keys in his hand. He was missing one from the standard of three-to-a-hand, probably the one he had just used to pin me down. "How could you not have known?"

"Smart move, hiding your Servant." I told him. "I barely even bothered to look, and because she wasn't involved in the War I didn't find her."

"Yes, well, I do know everything there is to know." The bishop smiled, taking out a dagger. "And goodbye." He said, thrusting the dagger into my chest. With that one action I found out everything.

How he had convinced Hashimoto and the Burial Agency to join the War and overload the Grail. How he had usurped the voices in Joan's head by using the golden ram of those who pretend to be prophets. How he had used Joan to hunt down the others who had sought the Grail. How he had hidden his final Servant, a copy of the Greek goddess Pallas Athena.

And most importantly, the top secret report that had spurred him to do all this.

_Report 340: Feasibility Study: Taking The Origin._

It was an insane plan to bring the Origin and the energy from the Throne of Heroes through the Holy Grail. They had believed that this would strengthen the Church, allowing them to do such things as exterminate all magi and kill all of the vampires. The essence of the plan was that there was so much energy in the Origin that it would push everyone up to Servant level.

Addendum: Program Crusade feasibility studies are showing positive results. We have succeeded in summoning a single Servant outside of the Holy Grail War system. Servant's True Name is Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess. To spread the power amongst the people of the world up to Servant level, however, two Holy Grail Wars' worth of energy will be required, which can be easily acquired through our supervisors. Recommend continuation of the program.

After that the Church would go on a crusade, exterminating all non-humans and magi. Simply brutal and simply effective. All of this flashed through my mind as I died.

_This power is great, feeding me all the information I needed when I was alive while I die. _I thought. However, before I faded away, I noticed I was not alone in my thoughts.

_Do you desire power?_ It was a voice I could not identify, a voice that had entered my thoughts out of nowhere. _Do you wish to overturn the rules of reality?_

_Gladly._ I thought. _What's the catch?_

_Wish, and it shall be granted._ The voice said. _However, you shall serve me for all eternity, righting the wrongs that threaten the world._

_Very well, I'll take that._ I thought. _Give me the power to defeat his Servant, and revive Ririko Tohno._

_I will come to collect very quickly if that's the case._ The voice said. _Why save Ririko?_

_She won._ I told the voice. _Last Master alive wins._

I stood up. The hole in my chest had closed, but the blood was still there. The Black Key was no longer pinning me down. I immediately remembered everything that needed to be remembered.

I rushed down the stairs.

Ririko Tohno found herself awake on the ground, miraculously uninjured. She had won.

She ran towards the church, spear in hand. She would get her wish.

I entered the basement. They were already there, admiring the Holy Grail. _Bastards._ I thought. Taking six Black Keys in my hands, I threw a set at Athena to distract her while the other three slinked in under to take the Bishop. Just in case of a grab, two of them were Black Keys of Immolation, which would release and explosion that set fire to anything in range. I followed the Black Keys, three in my left hand and the Sacrifice Dagger in my right.

The Keys were all deflected by Athena's aegis, her strongest defensive weapon. Taking the opportunity, I jumped onto the aegis, throwing the three Black Keys in my hand at the Bishop's shadow. Still reeling from the surprise attack, he was immediately bound.

"So there." I said. "That's what happens when you piss me off." I said. Neither of them said anything. I turned to the Servant.

"Let's dance, shall we?" I asked her. The invitation was all she needed, her bronze spear rushing towards me. I turned to the side, my arm sliced deeply by the spearpoint. Grunting in pain, I threw another hand of Black Keys of Immolation right at her feet, forcing her to use her shield to defend against them.

That was all I needed. I kicked off of the ground, tackling the shield with all of my strength. I felt her give a bit, which was all I needed.

The Sacrifice Dagger bit into her neck. The Conceptual Weapon that could cut even a Servant sliced through her neck, throwing it high into the air.

"I never thought it worked that well." I said to her head, which was on the floor. "I didn't think I would be able to take off a god's head with a single blow."

"You… what did you do!?" The Bishop yelled. "She shouldn't have died, much less to a mere human like you!"

"I made a deal with the devil." I said, approaching my superior. "This is the Holy Grail War. The one who knows how to play everyone the best wins."

With that, I pushed my arm into his stomach. He would have fallen if the Black Key had not held him up. I pulled the Sacrifice Dagger again.

"Good night." I said, cutting him. "You just lost the Grail War." I said.

Something unexpected happened, though. It seemed he had already made a wish, as a large wave of power burst outwards.

_So he half-succeeded._ I thought. _Some of the Origin's energy is already back._

After that I dragged the bodies away, burning them in the back. I cleaned the blood off, changed my priestly robe, and returned to the front of the church. Ririko Tohno was already there.

"Congratulations. The Grail is yours."

"You're not going to come with me?" She asked as she went for the door in the back. Any magus could sense the extreme power behind that door.

"No. This is between you and the Grail." I said. She walked down into the basement. Outside, I opened the door and closed it behind me.

I would not make the mistake of letting down my guard again.

The dark steps leading down to the basement were extremely uncomfortable for Ririko, but she managed. There, the Grail stood in front of her.

Contrary to its menacing name, it was actually just a cup on the table, like a normal chalice used for Mass. The small golden cup was ordinary and in no way ominous.

The magical part was the small, translucent wisp hovering mere inches above the ring of the chalice. That was concentrated magical power, enough to defy the laws of common sense and trigger the Third Magic.

"I wish for my brother to live." She said. The Holy Grail seemed to speak directly into her head as its response.

"That cannot be done." The Grail told her. "His soul is already stored in the Throne of Heroes as a Heroic Spirit. To take back his spirit is beyond even Akasha."

Ririko was an educated magus, so she knew what this meant. It meant, basically, that it was already outside the jurisdiction of the world to take things out of the Throne of Heroes. However, it would not be outside its jurisdiction to put things in.

"Then unify my soul with my brother's." She said. "Take me into the Throne of Heroes."

"Consider your choice carefully." The Grail responded. "I will not grant that just yet."

With this one wish, she would be united with her brother forever. With this one wish, she would break the eternal curse of reincarnation and tragedy that faced them.

So why shouldn't she make the wish?

"I am certain."

"Then it shall be done."

In a flash, she disappeared. Her lithe figure replaced with nothing more than an infant child. Trigger saw this and rushed back.

The Grail was still there.

"What is this?" Trigger asked.

"The mother and father may have proven themselves, but not the child. The child shall stay here in this world and live." The Grail replied curtly.

"What a pain... So, I suppose I will have have to take care of him?" Trigger asked while examining the child. "What's his name?"

"Masaomi. Masaomi Tohno." It's essence unable to manifest in the world, the Holy Grail faded away.

The green fields of the Throne of Heroes stretched out into the horizon. The gentle breeze and the comfortably warm air would convince even the hardest and most battle-scarred of warriors to take their time and rest.

"Ah… so this is how it is." Kenichi Tohno stretched out on the green grass. "So this is where Rider used to live." He smiled as he looked out over the fields.

"I wish Ririko were here to see this…" For most of his life they had been together, watching over each other, helping each other, protecting each other. Over the years they had faced assassination, imprisonment, near-certain death, and even the most cruel separation of death.

But fate and the love of siblings is an unpredictable thing, and the Grail happened to open the door to the world right behind Kenichi. Ririko stepped out quietly and cast her eyes over the horizon as well.

"It's beautiful." Kenichi said. "Just like you."

He turned around and stood in front of Ririko. Unlike the Kenichi of the War, this was him in his prime, with all the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Fun and outgoing, always ready with a wisecrack, this Kenichi was the one in Ririko's memories.

On the green grass of the Throne of Heroes, where those who lived great lives go to rest, they embraced. Behind a tree there was the space detective Ken Marker's copy.

"They make a great couple." He said, taking a picture of the two standing there embracing as if they were one.

Report 343: On the Izaya Grail War: Concluded.


End file.
